Discussion
Got my yearly medical results back today and while my LDL is lower than last year, it's still a bit higher than it should be, and my HDL is a bit lower than it should be, so a ratio of 4.6 (4.3 last year) when they say it should be below 4.0. My father had a heart bypass when he was about 10 years older than I am now, so I probably should try and improve it.
Some googling suggest low carb and fatty fish can increase the HDL, I could definitely reduce the amount of pasta I eat but I'm not a big fish fan. Nuts are supposed to be good, and I already eat a bit of avocado and use olive oil/spread rather than butter. I do however eat too much cheese, but currently run 15-20km/week and cycle to work most days.
The answer is probably more running and less cheese, but are there any other dietary recommendations to try without going to a full blown diet?
Some googling suggest low carb and fatty fish can increase the HDL, I could definitely reduce the amount of pasta I eat but I'm not a big fish fan. Nuts are supposed to be good, and I already eat a bit of avocado and use olive oil/spread rather than butter. I do however eat too much cheese, but currently run 15-20km/week and cycle to work most days.
The answer is probably more running and less cheese, but are there any other dietary recommendations to try without going to a full blown diet?
RizzoTheRat said:
Got my yearly medical results back today and while my LDL is lower than last year, it's still a bit higher than it should be, and my HDL is a bit lower than it should be, so a ratio of 4.6 (4.3 last year) when they say it should be below 4.0. My father had a heart bypass when he was about 10 years older than I am now, so I probably should try and improve it.
Some googling suggest low carb and fatty fish can increase the HDL, I could definitely reduce the amount of pasta I eat but I'm not a big fish fan. Nuts are supposed to be good, and I already eat a bit of avocado and use olive oil/spread rather than butter. I do however eat too much cheese, but currently run 15-20km/week and cycle to work most days.
The answer is probably more running and less cheese, but are there any other dietary recommendations to try without going to a full blown diet?
Doesn't sound too bad to me, and haven't there been some recent studies questioning the link between high LDL cholesterol and heart disease?Some googling suggest low carb and fatty fish can increase the HDL, I could definitely reduce the amount of pasta I eat but I'm not a big fish fan. Nuts are supposed to be good, and I already eat a bit of avocado and use olive oil/spread rather than butter. I do however eat too much cheese, but currently run 15-20km/week and cycle to work most days.
The answer is probably more running and less cheese, but are there any other dietary recommendations to try without going to a full blown diet?
Your diet and lifestyle sound better than most - personally I wouldn't worry too much about it
disclaimer - IANAD
Cholesterol has been unfairly demonized to push products, both food and pills. It is actually vital for life and health. You might want to read a bit more before giving up cheese. Maybe start here:
https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/food/cholesterol/?fb...
And read about triglycerides, which seem to be the real baddie, though correlation is not causation:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/triglycerides-and-heart...
In short, worry more about the triglycerides (bad) to HDL (good) ratio. Eat less sugar and carbs to lower triglycerides.
https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/food/cholesterol/?fb...
And read about triglycerides, which seem to be the real baddie, though correlation is not causation:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/triglycerides-and-heart...
In short, worry more about the triglycerides (bad) to HDL (good) ratio. Eat less sugar and carbs to lower triglycerides.
Trigylceride was within spec. I don't eat a lot of sugar but do get through a lot of carbs.
I was under the impression it was the LDL/HDL ratio that was considered to be the baddie, I'll have a bit more of a read.
No danger of me giving up cheese but I could probably halve my cheese intake and still be considered to eat too much
I was under the impression it was the LDL/HDL ratio that was considered to be the baddie, I'll have a bit more of a read.
No danger of me giving up cheese but I could probably halve my cheese intake and still be considered to eat too much
Ivor Cummins is very good on cholesterol and CAC scans, e.g.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IU-33EucMc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IU-33EucMc
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