This is education both ways. Download it and discuss it with your doctor.

This is what to expect if you go LCHF – Low Carb and Healthy Fat living.

The ongoing question I receive from patients and doctors is about the ‘cholesterol’ level. I keep saying that in isolation the cholesterol level is meaningless and creates more distress and anxiety for patients wanting to adopt a Low Sugar and Carbohydrate lifestyle. This means consuming more, but not masses, of healthy fats – nuts, pasture fed meats, dairy, avocado are staples.

The higher proportion of healthy fat in a diet seems to put most doctors into a tailspin of concern of ‘What about your cholesterol?’

From a cardiovascular risk factor aspect, there is only one number to be interested in. That is not some ratio combining different components of but the ACTUAL number of Small Dense LDL particles.

It can be measured indirectly by the Triglyceride level and if that is under 0.8 then it is unlikely that you have any significant number of small dense LDL’s in circulation.

If the concern continues then have a Lipid Subfraction Analysis. That will show you the exact breakdown of all lipids in your bloodstream. It is fast becoming the go to test in Cardiology research because it is accurate and not based on ratios or subtraction equations. It may cost you about $100 in some places but that is infinitely cheaper than the cost of taking a statin drug for the rest of your life based on some ‘cholesterol’ number on a page.

One of my patients has allowed me to post up a bit of her story and her Lipid Subfraction Analysis. She has shifted into a LCHF lifestyle, feels much better, healthier and lost a fair amount of weight. Her standard lipid tests showed her Cholesterol level to jump from 5.5 (9/2014) to 10.9 – her GP was ‘gravely concerned’ to say the least.

Her LDL Cholesterol had also skyrocketed from 3.3 (9/2014) to 8.2 with all sorts of alarm bells ringing with the doctor. Her ‘good’ HDL Cholesterol had also gone up but that was being ignored.
A Lipid Subfraction Analysis was called for and surprise, surprise – “Type A (NORMAL) profile. No additional risk of an adverse cardiac event”

Her good HDL’s were up and the circulating LDL’s were in the larger particle size and working as transporters – and all of that is fine. Result is less worry all round – and no statins.

One of my Cardiology colleagues is now on board with the LCHF lifestyle and has seen these results several times with patients. That Lipid Subfraction Analysis has been a major factor in his ‘coming around’ to LCHF living.

Download the PDF handout and start discussing it with your doctor. Let them know that you are informed of options before you start a lifetime dependence on statins with their known side effects.

Download available from http://www.nofructose.com/?p=614

“LIPIDS
Lipid profiles do change when you adopt an LCHF diet. The most profound change is a significant reduction of small dense LDL particles. These are a by-product of fructose metabolism and are the dangerous-sized LDLs associated with cardiovascular disease. They are not directly measured by any routine lipid testing.

The small dense LDLs are indirectly measured by the Triglyceride level. A number of 0.8 or less is indicative of no small dense LDLs in circulation. This is the cheapest method of assessing progress following LCHF principles.

Fat transport and mobilisation occurs on a low carbohydrate diet. This increased fat utilisation means more large ‘fluffy’ LDL particles are in action and therefore the overall cholesterol and LDL-C numbers may rise. This is not a concern.

The HDL levels generally rise which is an indicator of a healthy cardiovascular clearing system.

If concerns are raised regarding standard lipid profiles then other tests are available. The definitive one is a Lipid Subfraction Analysis which is readily available. It will define exact lipoprotein levels in a spectral analysis. Patients can expect to see a major reduction in the small particle sizes of zones 5, 6 and 7 (the small dense LDL ‘bad cholesterol’ particles). There generally is a rise in the large ‘fluffy’ transport LDLs in zone 1 and 2 (that is because fat is now being mobilised as a fuel source). HDL numbers are generally high. This will be reflected in a ‘low risk’ summary report.

Further information, including a 20 minute video by A/Professor Ken Sikaris, Chemical Pathologist at Melbourne Pathology, is available at http://www.nofructose.com/introduction/cholesterol-testing/“

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How do statins create their side effects?

Statins provide only a small benefit of reducing your risk of dying from a heart attack if you have had a previous heart attack but they come at a cost. And that cost looks to be increasing. There is now increasing evidence of increased risks of diabetes, cancer, dementia, cataracts and musculoskeletal pain for those taking statin drugs.

Anything that reduces cholesterol production has far reaching consequences. Cholesterol is an integral part of our cell membranes, it holds us together. It makes up nearly 20% of our brains and it is integral to hormone production. If we keep affecting the building blocks of our cells then we have the potential to affect our long term health.

Most of the statin trials have been short term and tend to skip over the side effects. The benefits of reduction of risk sound a lot better when the drug companies push the relative risk reductions of these drugs rather than the actual numbers. A 1% absolute reduction from 3% doesn’t sound nearly as impressive as a 33% relative risk reduction. Guess what the drug companies push? It’s just statistics but… it’s also marketing. The long term studies are starting to look dubious when it comes to side effects. This just released paper looks at how that ‘collateral’ damage is occurring.

“The risks of statin use are associated with statins’ negative effects on stem cell function, according to the researchers. Statin therapy benefits individuals with atherosclerosis, but because of its effects on stem cells, it may not be appropriate as a preventive measure for those who do not have cardiovascular disease.”

The other more effective option is lifestyle changes – diet and exercise. That can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by factors of 40% plus in some papers. The literature is hard to pin down on those figures but virtually every paper puts diet, exercise, weight loss and cessation of smoking at the top of the list. Unfortunately for the individual that means some responsibility, some effort and some changes. But those changes are infinitely more effective than taking a tablet.

Those lifestyle improvements will not just help your heart, they have far reaching benefits across all diseases.

A Lowering of your sugar and Carbohydrate intake and replacing it with the right amount of Healthy Fats (LCHF) is an effective lifestyle choice. I can’t work out why the medical profession is taking so long to work this out – to ‘get it’.

I honestly believe that with the right dietary changes many people could reduce their medications and particularly statins. Having the right blood investigations at the beginning – a Lipid Subfraction Analysis is the only true test reflecting your lipid profile.

There is no way that I would start a statin drug until I have that test. Find out exactly what the particle numbers are before starting a lifelong intake of a drug that may not be quite as good as the drug companies tell us. Please have this discussion with your doctor – and hopefully they ‘get it’.

Come and ‘get it’ at our Choose Health forum next month. More importantly, drag your doctor along to ‘get it’ at http://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/nutrition-for-life-7299741993

More on cholesterol testing and the Lipid Subfraction Analysis at http://www.nofructose.com/introduction/cholesterol-testing/

http://www.newswise.com/…/new-research-shows-why-statins-sh…

The articles and the references at http://www.nofructose.com/?p=3008

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