Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Forks Over Knives (Or, the Western diet vs. a plant-based diet)

QuikSand · 08-19-2013, 12:08 PM

So, here are a few updates on my own situation. I'm a little past two years into a 100% plant-based diet, and I generally eat much more healthfully than ever before. Got a blood test last week, and the results continue to impress me.

My total cholesterol was never really in the terrible range - pre-change, I tested about 180 total, and the warning signs start over 200. In the two years since being on my new diet, I have seen the total drop to 138 and most recently 131. So, that's progress... many in the field point to a total cholesterol level below 150 as a healthy cardio goal. It appears I got there in just a few months of doing better. Some books/sites tout people making a similar fairly quick drop from high-danger areas 300+ down to <150 just by dietary changes, I have no independent evidence. But people who simply say "cholesterol is hereditary, period" seem to be missing a lot.

The subcomponents of cholesterol are even more interesting to me... you have the "good" HDL, and the more troublesome LDL and VLDL. In 2011, my tests showed me too low in the HDL (30, want to be 40+) and too high in the bad stuff. So, my ratio of total/good cholesterol was about 6 -- and that ratio shouldn't go over 5.

My more recent readings have progressed in the component front as well -- in my latest test, with a total level of 131, I have 34 in the good HDL, meaning that ratio is now down to 97/34 = less than 3. That's a pretty big move. My doctor advises that for vegetarians and others wirth fairly low overall cholesterol, the importance of having "enough" of the good HDL isn't as acute - she is very happy with my results here.

One more note - I'm also seeing a shift within the bad cholesterol, the low- and very-low-density components. Before my split was nearly half and half -- 86 LDL and 66 VLDL. In my latest test, not only is the total of the bad stuff lower, but the ratio is better also -- 68 LDL and 29 VLDL. I don't have a strong sense how important this shift is, but it's seen as an expected and welcome result of eating better.

Reference here: Mayo Clinic References

For me, the stunning news of my latest tests came with Triglycerides, another part of the lipid spectrum. Mayo (above) indicates that a range <150 is healthy, and 200+ being high. My previous tests came in in the 300-330 range. Last week, I punched in at 147, far and away the best result I have ever logged. I'm not sure what happened, exactly, but I took this as such good news that I celebrated by having roughly 60 cocktails at the beach last week, which I'm sure was a smart move.

Anyway, mostly bragging here... but it's nice to feel like something's working well. The blood chemistry is pointing in the right direction, my load of heart-related medication is less intrusive than it once was, and ... well, losing nearly 50 pounds doesn't hurt, either.

08-19-2013, 12:08 PM	#285
QuikSand lolzcat Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Annapolis, Md	So, here are a few updates on my own situation. I'm a little past two years into a 100% plant-based diet, and I generally eat much more healthfully than ever before. Got a blood test last week, and the results continue to impress me. My total cholesterol was never really in the terrible range - pre-change, I tested about 180 total, and the warning signs start over 200. In the two years since being on my new diet, I have seen the total drop to 138 and most recently 131. So, that's progress... many in the field point to a total cholesterol level below 150 as a healthy cardio goal. It appears I got there in just a few months of doing better. Some books/sites tout people making a similar fairly quick drop from high-danger areas 300+ down to <150 just by dietary changes, I have no independent evidence. But people who simply say "cholesterol is hereditary, period" seem to be missing a lot. The subcomponents of cholesterol are even more interesting to me... you have the "good" HDL, and the more troublesome LDL and VLDL. In 2011, my tests showed me too low in the HDL (30, want to be 40+) and too high in the bad stuff. So, my ratio of total/good cholesterol was about 6 -- and that ratio shouldn't go over 5. My more recent readings have progressed in the component front as well -- in my latest test, with a total level of 131, I have 34 in the good HDL, meaning that ratio is now down to 97/34 = less than 3. That's a pretty big move. My doctor advises that for vegetarians and others wirth fairly low overall cholesterol, the importance of having "enough" of the good HDL isn't as acute - she is very happy with my results here. One more note - I'm also seeing a shift within the bad cholesterol, the low- and very-low-density components. Before my split was nearly half and half -- 86 LDL and 66 VLDL. In my latest test, not only is the total of the bad stuff lower, but the ratio is better also -- 68 LDL and 29 VLDL. I don't have a strong sense how important this shift is, but it's seen as an expected and welcome result of eating better. Reference here: Mayo Clinic References For me, the stunning news of my latest tests came with Triglycerides, another part of the lipid spectrum. Mayo (above) indicates that a range <150 is healthy, and 200+ being high. My previous tests came in in the 300-330 range. Last week, I punched in at 147, far and away the best result I have ever logged. I'm not sure what happened, exactly, but I took this as such good news that I celebrated by having roughly 60 cocktails at the beach last week, which I'm sure was a smart move. Anyway, mostly bragging here... but it's nice to feel like something's working well. The blood chemistry is pointing in the right direction, my load of heart-related medication is less intrusive than it once was, and ... well, losing nearly 50 pounds doesn't hurt, either.