Like, below range of the test?
Cholesterol: 3.81 (3.88-6.2)
Triglycerides: 0.55 (0.11-2.26)
HDL: 1.29 (> 1.15)
LDL: 2.27 (1.64-4.34)
VLDL: 0.25 (0.05-1.04).
I am pressuming this is a really good result, considering the HDL is higher than the minimum. (Before lower carb it was always below range).
But I also know that low cholesterol puts one at risk for stroke, depression, etc.
Certainly no Dr. is ever going to recommend statins to me! :)
That's good, I was gonna recommend you eat some greasy burritos to get your cholesterol back up!!
Mmm, that's yummy too however I was "reverse engineering" the Taubesian approach of less carbs= lower cholesterol to more carbs would perhaps raise it?
Mine was never high, but also went down considerably on low carb, high fat. Also my A1Cs have been below 5.5 for 5 years. The doctor still can't see the forest for the trees. Wants to send me to a class with a skinny little, barely-past-teenaged "dietitician" so I can follow a more typical diet. I went to this class when I was a Big D newbie and baffled by all I saw and heard. These days I'd never be able to keep my mouth shut.
Congratulations on your great numbers. The force is with you.
Your readings in US units are
TC 147
Tri 49
HDL 50
LDL 88
Overall a "good" reading. But your cholesterol is low and you are correct, you are at higher risk for stroke, depression as well as heart disease and cancer.
You should think of cholesterol as a symptom. Low cholesterol can be cause by adrenal fatigue and hyperthyroidism (or overtreatment) as well as a number of other things.
I didn’t know that low cholesterol puts you at higher risk for stroke and depression. My numbers are very low. My LDL is below the minimum amount. My Cardiologist likes my numbers but my endocrinologist wants them higher. This may explain some things...
During my "statin debacle" I reacted harshly to treatment and my cholesterol numbers plummeted. I felt terrible. Cholesterol is the building block of hormones and your brain. Both of which turn out to be pretty darn important.
My cardiologist was also quite happy. In the end, I found out that he had a myopic view of my health. He didn't really care if my health failed as long as I didn't die of high cholesterol.
Stable low cholesterol is a good thing that does not put you at higher risk. Lots of vegetarians, vegans, etc have low cholesterol like that.
However, a sharp drop in cholesterol often happens in people who are starving and in some disease processes, including some cancers, and for this reason a life insurance company (for example) will penalize you for it.
My father, who is in his late 50s, has had low cholesterol levels all his life. My total cholesterol is usually about 2/3rds of what yours is, and none of my doctors see it as a cause for concern, because it is stable, my dad's is just slightly higher (and he does not have heart disease) and I'm a vegan.
I read an article recently that talked about this too. It stated that a drop in cholesterol is typically seen as many as 8 years before cancer is diagnosed. The article said that although some say that low cholesterol causes cancer, it's more likely that cancer causes the low cholesterol.
By the way, super_sally, your lipid profile is almost identical to mine, except that my triglycerides are 69. My cardiologist says PWD should be below 60 so you're doing well there. My total cholesterol has been stable for years for as long as I've had it tested at almost the identical reading every test.