I need to add one detail to my personal profile....I'm female, and I understand that gender plays a big role in how your lipid mechanism works. Even down to the symptoms we have when experiencing a cardiac attack.
"Vegans eat bread, but it's whole grain. I'm not Vegan (but I only eat a little of non-plant food), and eat a lot of bread. But I won't touch a bread unless the first ingredient listed isn't whole wheat or whole oats, or whole some other grain."
sorry-what I meant here is that it would be easier for me to totally give up all meat (which would be tough enough) than to forgo the breads. I don't go nuts in the bread section but it's just a much-loved food group.
I got to thinking about the actual numbers yesterday and decided to call the doc and write them down, along with their preferred ranges. When we initially went over them in the office we really just focused on the HDL and I realized I didn't have the info down for my own personal consideration.
Here's what I got:
HDL =46 (I swear I heard a different number in his office but this is the official number on the sheet)
and the range is 35-65. I am guessing the reason he wants my HDLs up, up UP is because he knows both of my parents and sees any potential for improvement there as life insurance....
LDL=91 <100 optimal
Triglyc=42 32-200 acceptable
total chol=145 range <200
I am 5'11 and my weight hovers about the 166 lb mark. I have areas that I'd love to see tone up, like anybody else, but weight isn't an issue here. It's like the rail thin guy walking around only he's quietly harboring a total cholesterol of 325. Outward appearances can be deceptive.
My doc said he has issues with the niacin debate given the potential for liver damage...but the fish oil notion was ok if I wanted to give it a try.
What is the best dosing rate......I will have to reread some of the posts because I think we already covered that.