a cholesterol question...

bdhilton
bdhilton Member Posts: 866 Member
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
Ok I have my annual physical including all of my blood work (first time with my PSA test) and got my test results today and everything is great except my HDL

Total cholesterol: 138
LDL: 89
Triglycerides: 107

All is looking great and then my HDL comes in at 28... Shite

I eat sockeye salmon or sardines 3-5 times a week, no dairy, no red meat (really no meat)..I am up to running about 30 miles a week, lift weights 3x and have been doing yoga twice a week...

So have anyone here had to raise their HDL and if so how...My next step per the doc is taking a RX niacin pill...Any input will be appreciated-Thanks

Comments

  • steckley
    steckley Member Posts: 100
    #2
    HDL
    BD,

    Raising HDL is hard to do.

    I tried Niacin and it raised my HDl from about 32 to about 42 ... this was at 2000 mg of Slow release Niacin per day. In the beginning I would turn scarlet red from the flushing ... it settled down with time ... but I still had some unwanted flushing and went off of the niacin. You have to start at a low level (500 mg) and work your way up.

    I was told weight training was good for raising HDl but it did not seem to do much for me. I continue to walk every day and I do think this has some positive impact, because when I'm not walking (due to surgeries or long trips) my HDL does seem to drop.

    I found that my Fish Oil (1000 mg DHA and 400 mg EPA per day) not only lowers my triglycerides but also seems to have had a slight positive impact on the DHL (32 to 38).

    Also added vitamin D based on information I found on the Net ... but haven't really seen any impact to HDL.
  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,346 Member
    #3
    bdh
    How do the current numbers compare with past numbers....have you seen improvement as a result of your healthy life style....what is the trend?

    As I understand, HDL is exercise induced

    As I remember reading in the past that one needs to look at the relationship of HDL to Total Cholesterol........I'm not sure what the relationship needs to be.....I'm thinking that it need to be 4 to 1 or less...but I'm not sure.
  • bdhilton
    bdhilton Member Posts: 866 Member
    #4
    Thanks guys for your
    Thanks guys for your comments… I am going to talk to an expert in this ever evolving cholesterol thing… This HDL thing could just be some “trending” as my number are good all the way around and only increase 3 point from last year with taking fish oil (as I have the last 17 years) and eating salmon and sardines 3-5 times a week, etc…

    To answer your question I have always been under 200 total (I have been active my whole life). The big change for me the last year has been to remove dairy and red meat out of my diet… My cholesterol last year was:
    Total cholesterol: 175
    LDL: 115
    HDL: 25
    Triglycerides: 149

    If is not one thing its another thing is going to kill me...I guess I am just going to die at some point in time...LOL
  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,346 Member
    #5
    bdhilton said:

    Thanks guys for your
    Thanks guys for your comments… I am going to talk to an expert in this ever evolving cholesterol thing… This HDL thing could just be some “trending” as my number are good all the way around and only increase 3 point from last year with taking fish oil (as I have the last 17 years) and eating salmon and sardines 3-5 times a week, etc…

    To answer your question I have always been under 200 total (I have been active my whole life). The big change for me the last year has been to remove dairy and red meat out of my diet… My cholesterol last year was:
    Total cholesterol: 175
    LDL: 115
    HDL: 25
    Triglycerides: 149

    If is not one thing its another thing is going to kill me...I guess I am just going to die at some point in time...LOL

    Impressive
    I think that the improvement that you have shown is impressive. Your total , LDL, and trig have significantly decreased , while your HDL is slightly higher........I hope that I could do as well as you.

    .
  • BRONX52
    BRONX52 Member Posts: 156
    #6
    BDHILTON

    my recent physical revealed the following
    Cholesterol--137
    HDL--52
    LDL- 80
    TRIGLYCERIDES-80

    MY HDL HAS RISEN 20 POINTS IN JUST 6 MONTHS BUT I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY. I DON'T NEARLY DO AS MUCH EXERCISE AS YOU. AS A MATTER OF FACT I GET TIRED JUST FROM LOOKING AT YOUR REGIMEN.I HAVE CUT DOWN ON DAIRY BUT NOT COMPLETELY AND I STILL EAT RED MEAT BUT NOT ON A REGULAR BASIS. I DO DRINK POMEGRANITE DAILY BUT ONLY 8 OZS. I AM CERTAINLY NOT THE POSTER BOY FOR THE PERFECT HEALTHY DIET!!--GO FIGURE--
  • bdhilton
    bdhilton Member Posts: 866 Member
    #7
    BRONX52 said:

    BDHILTON

    my recent physical revealed the following
    Cholesterol--137
    HDL--52
    LDL- 80
    TRIGLYCERIDES-80

    MY HDL HAS RISEN 20 POINTS IN JUST 6 MONTHS BUT I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY. I DON'T NEARLY DO AS MUCH EXERCISE AS YOU. AS A MATTER OF FACT I GET TIRED JUST FROM LOOKING AT YOUR REGIMEN.I HAVE CUT DOWN ON DAIRY BUT NOT COMPLETELY AND I STILL EAT RED MEAT BUT NOT ON A REGULAR BASIS. I DO DRINK POMEGRANITE DAILY BUT ONLY 8 OZS. I AM CERTAINLY NOT THE POSTER BOY FOR THE PERFECT HEALTHY DIET!!--GO FIGURE--

    Pretty impressive...I am
    Pretty impressive...I am thinking that perhaps my low HDL is from my cancer earlier this year (which I read somewhere has an effect on low HDL) and then surgery this year has had some impact. (Reaching for straws here lol)..If I remember you live in Hawaii and are enjoying the good life perhaps that is your key…My dad had low cholesterol #’s and a high HDL number and he never gave anything up…Perhaps I will be like you and my number will go up the next time the doctor checks it in March as I am doing everything that you can do to raise this number… Aloha
  • mrspjd
    mrspjd Member Posts: 694 Member
    #8
    Statins?
    There has been some mixed, but mostly favorable research/information about the beneficial effect of statins on PCa, especially for low to intermediate risk PCa. Some statins are touted to increase HDL also, but probably won't have any significant effect on raising severely low HDL, which could be genetically inherited. Wondering if any of you are taking a statin (in addition to eating a healthier diet & exercising) to achieve lower LDL and higher HDL #'s and whether you started it for the possible add'l benefit it might have on PCa?
  • bdhilton
    bdhilton Member Posts: 866 Member
    #9
    mrspjd said:

    Statins?
    There has been some mixed, but mostly favorable research/information about the beneficial effect of statins on PCa, especially for low to intermediate risk PCa. Some statins are touted to increase HDL also, but probably won't have any significant effect on raising severely low HDL, which could be genetically inherited. Wondering if any of you are taking a statin (in addition to eating a healthier diet & exercising) to achieve lower LDL and higher HDL #'s and whether you started it for the possible add'l benefit it might have on PCa?

    Thanks but no satins for
    Thanks but no satins for me...My doc says to increase my fish oil and over the counter niacin (I take 320 mg in the morning so now I take 320 mg at night)...we will see but I am reading stuff that state that people like me with low HDL along with low everything else means nothing...go figure...We will see what increases with niacin do

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