Recent labs and insight needed

[Nnik]

Hi! I just got my labs drawn yesterday and I was hoping some of you would look these over. I started initiating Ray Peat stuff over the last 1 year (i.e. increasing carbs, replacing with saturated fats, protein, etc) These are not fasting labs and my cholesterol still seems kind of low. It has actually decreased since last year besides the triglycerides (but again I wasn’t fasting this time) even though I have increased saturated fats. I would think they should be raising my cholesterol if anything. For backstory: I came from low carb, “Mark Hyman” style diet with lots of Omegas and stuff. Now I eat mostly fruit, starches, animal protein, milk, OJ, gelatin, butter, coconut oil. I still eat out sometimes so haven’t been able to limit pufa completely. I feel pretty good overall. My hands and feet used to be freezing and now they are so warm. I was taking thyroid for a bit this spring to warm me up in the colder months but started feeling too hot and have not been taking any thyroid. I now take saturee liver/oyster supplements, methylene Blue, 1500 I.U vitamin D, K2, and vitamin A. Any insight on my labs for things I can improve?
Thanks in advance!

Labs 2023

Sodium: 139 mEq/dl (136-145)

Potassium: 4.0 mEq/dl (3.5-5.1)

Cl: 107 mmol/L (98-110)

CO2: 21 mEq/dl (21-32)

BUN: 10 mg/dl (7-23)

Creatinine: 0.79 mg/dl (0.60-1.20)

GFR: >60

Glucose: 96 mg/dl (74-106)

AST: 15 units/L (3-37

ALT: 10 units/L (6-56)

Alk phos: 43 units/L low (45-117)

Albumin: 4.3 gm/dL (3.4-5.0)

T protein: 6.7 gm/dL (6.4-8.2)

T Bili: 0.40 mg/dL (0.20-1.00)

Ca: 9.2 mg/dl (8.3-10.6

Chol: 140 mg/dL (150-200) (2022: 158)

Trig: 62 mg/dL (30-150) (2022: 29 fasting)

HDL: 71mg/dL high (40-59) (2022: 83)

LDL: 57 mg/dL (<=99) (2022: 69)

TSH: 1.224uiU/mL (0.550-4.78) (2020: 1.0, 2022: 1.53, 1.25 april taking thyroid)

Vit D: 43.6 ng/mL (30-100) (2022: 36.3)

WBC: 7.8 (3.8-11.0)

RBC: 4.37 (4.00-5.20)

Hgb: 13.7 gm/dL (11.5-15.5)

Hct: 40.7% (35%-47%)

MCH: 31.4 pg (28-34)

MCV: 93 fL (81-100)

RDW: 12.1% (11.0-15.1%)

PLT: 281 (153-407)

Neut Abs: 5.3 (1.8-7.7)

Lymph Abs: 1.6 (0.9-3.2)

Mono Abs: 0.5 (0.3-0.9)

Eos Abs: 0.2 (0.0-0.4)

Baso Abs: 0.1 (0.0-0.2)

Imm Grans Abs: 0.0 (0.0-0.2)

MCHC: 33.7 gm/dL (31-36)

MPV: 9.8 fL (9.0-12.6)

 

[mostlylurking]

Hi! I just got my labs drawn yesterday and I was hoping some of you would look these over. I started initiating Ray Peat stuff over the last 1 year (i.e. increasing carbs, replacing with saturated fats, protein, etc) These are not fasting labs and my cholesterol still seems kind of low. It has actually decreased since last year besides the triglycerides (but again I wasn’t fasting this time) even though I have increased saturated fats. I would think they should be raising my cholesterol if anything. For backstory: I came from low carb, “Mark Hyman” style diet with lots of Omegas and stuff. Now I eat mostly fruit, starches, animal protein, milk, OJ, gelatin, butter, coconut oil. I still eat out sometimes so haven’t been able to limit pufa completely. I feel pretty good overall. My hands and feet used to be freezing and now they are so warm. I was taking thyroid for a bit this spring to warm me up in the winter but started feeling too hot and have not been taking any thyroid. I now take saturee liver/oyster supplements, methylene Blue, 1500 I.U vitamin D, K2, and vitamin A. Any insight on my labs for things I can improve?
Thanks in advance!

Labs 2023

Sodium: 139

Potassium: 4.0

Cl: 107

CO2: 21

BUN: 10

Creatinine: 0.79

GFR: >60

Glucose: 96

AST: 15

ALT: 10

Alk phos: 43

Albumin: 4.3

T protein: 6.7

T Bili: 0.40

Ca: 9.2

Chol: 140 (2022: 158)

Trig: 62 (2022: 29 fasting)

HDL: 71 (2022: 83)

LDL: 57 (2022: 69)

TSH: 1.224 (2020: 1.0, 2022: 1.53, 1.25 april taking thyroid)

Vit D: 43.6 (2022: 36.3)

WBC: 7.8

RBC: 4.37

Hgb: 13.7

Hct: 40.7%

MCH: 31.4

MCV: 93

RDW: 12.1%

PLT: 281

Neut Abs: 5.3

Lymph Abs: 1.6

Mono Abs: 0.5

Eos Abs: 0.2

Baso Abs: 0.1

Imm Grans Abs: 0.0

MCHC: 33.7

MPV: 9.8

Can you provide the tests' ranges?

 

[Nnik]

Can you provide the tests' ranges?

Sorry just added those ranges and units. Thanks!

 

[mostlylurking]

Sorry just added those ranges and units. Thanks!

I'm not a doctor. However, I've studied Ray Peat a lot. Your cholesterol is pretty low.

Chol: 140 (2022: 158)

Trig: 62 (2022: 29 fasting)

HDL: 71 (2022: 83)

LDL: 57 (2022: 69)

Total is 140? Because cholesterol is "protective", total really does need to be above 200. Your body turns cholesterol into the protective steroids. If it's too low, then there's no raw material to use to do that.

Suggested reading:

Cholesterol, longevity, intelligence, and health.

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

Ray Peat

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

audio interview:

https://www.toxinless.com/ewh-110929-cholesterol-and-saturated-fats.mp3

also, go here: bioenergetic search, search for Cholesterol. Click on the paragraph of interest to start the audio.

 

[Nnik]

I'm not a doctor. However, I've studied Ray Peat a lot. Your cholesterol is pretty low.

Chol: 140 (2022: 158)

Trig: 62 (2022: 29 fasting)

HDL: 71 (2022: 83)

LDL: 57 (2022: 69)

Total is 140? Because cholesterol is "protective", total really does need to be above 200. Your body turns cholesterol into the protective steroids. If it's too low, then there's no raw material to use to do that.

Suggested reading:

Cholesterol, longevity, intelligence, and health.

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

Ray Peat

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

audio interview:

https://www.toxinless.com/ewh-110929-cholesterol-and-saturated-fats.mp3

also, go here: bioenergetic search, search for Cholesterol. Click on the paragraph of interest to start the audio.

I definitely want to increase my cholesterol but I’m just a little confused on how to do it. I have already replaced my fats with saturated fats about 1 year ago. I never take fish oils or anything like that. I didn’t want to increase my overall fat intake too much because I’m worried about gaining weight. I am 27 female at a healthy weight right now. I guess my question is how do I increase cholesterol without throwing off my macros and gaining weight?

Is it possible that this could apply to me? As I have read in Ray’s articles?

“In very young people, the metabolic rate is very high, and the rapid conversion of cholesterol into pregnenolone, DHEA, and progesterone usually keeps the level of cholesterol in the blood low. In the 1930s, a rise in the concentration of cholesterol was considered to be one of the most reliable ways to diagnose hypothyroidism (1936 Yearbook of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Endocrinology, E.L. Sevringhaus, editor, Chicago, p. 533). With aging, the metabolic rate declines, and the increase of cholesterol with aging is probably a spontaneous regulatory process, supporting the synthesis of the protective steroids, especially the neurosteroids in the brain and retina.” Ray Peat.

 

[mostlylurking]

I guess my question is how do I increase cholesterol without throwing off my macros and gaining weight?

Putting on a few pounds beats dying. People with low cholesterol don't live very long. If I remember correctly, I think Peat advocated eating soft ripe juicy fruit to raise cholesterol.

Is it possible that this could apply to me? As I have read in Ray’s articles?

“In very young people, the metabolic rate is very high, and the rapid conversion of cholesterol into pregnenolone, DHEA, and progesterone usually keeps the level of cholesterol in the blood low. In the 1930s, a rise in the concentration of cholesterol was considered to be one of the most reliable ways to diagnose hypothyroidism (1936 Yearbook of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Endocrinology, E.L. Sevringhaus, editor, Chicago, p. 533). With aging, the metabolic rate declines, and the increase of cholesterol with aging is probably a spontaneous regulatory process, supporting the synthesis of the protective steroids, especially the neurosteroids in the brain and retina.” Ray Peat.

Peat was talking about children, under the age of 9 (if memory serves). Accumulating polyunsaturated fats slows down the metabolism as people get older. Polyunsaturated fats are very bad for your health but main stream medicine promotes them as being "heart healthy" because they lower cholesterol.

 

[Nnik]

Putting on a few pounds beats dying. People with low cholesterol don't live very long. If I remember correctly, I think Peat advocated eating soft ripe juicy fruit to raise cholesterol.

Peat was talking about children, under the age of 9 (if memory serves). Accumulating polyunsaturated fats slows down the metabolism as people get older. Polyunsaturated fats are very bad for your health but main stream medicine promotes them as being "heart healthy" because they lower cholesterol.

Okay so increasing fruit could help? I’m okay for increasing the percentage of fat in my diet for a bit if it will increase my cholesterol but just seems odd to me that after ~1 year of eating saturated fats every day my cholesterol has not risen at all.

**and after significantly avoiding pufa

 

[John mcclain]

This is pretty simple to me...EVERYTIME I EAT LOTS OF CARBS MY CHOLESTEROL LOWERS and everytime I reduce my carbs DRASTICALLY and increase fats it increases DRAMATICALLY....carbs is around 190 without it's around 300....maybe eating them isnt needed...but who actually knows theories are wonderful and all that but personally I feel the best when its HIGH...like crazy high

 

[Nnik]

Interesting. I’m wondering if anyone else has any insight on this for me?