My HDL level has become dangerously low

[IndianVegan]

Over the last year, my HDL cholesterol level has dropped from 45 mg/dL to 35 mg/dL. This is the “good cholesterol,” whose level should Ideally be over 55 mg/dL. There are no meds for increasing HDL, and the main source is fatty fish, which I stopped last year when I went vegan. A low HDL puts me at an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

Have any of you also experienced this problem? What did you do about it?

 

[Lou]

I'm not a doctor and I'm assuming you asked your doctor about this. Perhaps you asked your Doctor and he was the one suggested fatty fish. But he should have added some more foods that are good for increasing your HDL. Those additional foods are all vegan.

According to AI those foods are nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, and whole grains.

These are all foods on Dr. Gregars Daily Dozen. So good to do no matter what.

Dr Gregar recommends you eat 1/4 cup of nuts each day. That's a couple of tbs or a handful. I used to buy peanuts for this. cause they are cheap but now I buy mixed nuts because different nuts have different nutrients. But be careful with Brazil nuts. they are supposed to be good for lowering cholesterol. Supposedly 2 a day are good for lowering TSH levels, too. Not all the mixed nuts blends include Brazil nuts but I get the kind that does.

A good way to the recommended amount of seeds by Gregar is just a Tbsp of ground flax seed. (easily added to oatmeal)

Three servings of grains are recommended by Gregar. Don't go over 5.

Avocados are great. but they are calorie dense. So portion size is important.

Same with olive oil. Here in America there is a fad of people adding olive oil to coffee. Just a spoonful. and it has to be Extra Virgin (EVOO.) Supposedly it's great. I've never tried it. In some Starbucks it's on the menu. They call it Oleato.

Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are also key.

Just out of curiosity, how is your good cholesterol and how is your weight?

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https://about.starbucks.com/stories/2024/starbucks-oleato/

 

[IndianVegan]

I'm not a doctor and I'm assuming you asked your doctor about this. Perhaps you asked your Doctor and he was the one suggested fatty fish. But he should have added some more foods that are good for increasing your HDL. Those additional foods are all vegan.

According to AI those foods are nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, and whole grains.

These are all foods on Dr. Gregars Daily Dozen. So good to do no matter what.

Dr Gregar recommends you eat 1/4 cup of nuts each day. That's a couple of tbs or a handful. I used to buy peanuts for this. cause they are cheap but now I buy mixed nuts because different nuts have different nutrients. But be careful with Brazil nuts. they are supposed to be good for lowering cholesterol. Supposedly 2 a day are good for lowering TSH levels, too. Not all the mixed nuts blends include Brazil nuts but I get the kind that does.

A good way to the recommended amount of seeds by Gregar is just a Tbsp of ground flax seed. (easily added to oatmeal)

Three servings of grains are recommended by Gregar. Don't go over 5.

Avocados are great. but they are calorie dense. So portion size is important.

Same with olive oil. Here in America there is a fad of people adding olive oil to coffee. Just a spoonful. and it has to be Extra Virgin (EVOO.) Supposedly it's great. I've never tried it. In some Starbucks it's on the menu. They call it Oleato.

Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are also key.

Just out of curiosity, how is your good cholesterol and how is your weight?

Thanks for your reply!

No, my doctor wasn't the one who suggested fatty fish; I looked that up on the Internet.

HDL is the good cholesterol, which is very low for me. My LDL (bad cholesterol) level was well within the normal range, so my doctor said I could stop taking my statins.

My BMI is 23, which is also normal.

 

[Ahimsa24/7]

Exercise (particularly cardio exercise) is good for HDL.

I do 45-90 minutes of cardio a day and my HDL is 72.

 

[Lou]

Thanks for your reply!

Your welcome

No, my doctor wasn't the one who suggested fatty fish; I looked that up on the Internet.

so if you look it up on the internet again you will see that fatty fish are a good idea but so are nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, and whole grains. so just concentrate on those.
A lot of those internet sites recommend two servings of fish a week. But if you ate something like salmon twice a week you probably would be consuming unsafe levels of heavy metals. So another reason to stay vegan

HDL is the good cholesterol, which is very low for me. My LDL (bad cholesterol) level was well within the normal range, so my doctor said I could stop taking my statins.

Good job on getting your cholesterol under control. Congrats! For many people statins are a life sentence. Keep monitoring your cholesterol blood levels - it's possible it could rebound.

My BMI is 23, which is also normal.

BMI is a pretty good indicator of body fat - unless you are muscular or athletic - then it tends to skew up.
Body Fat Percentage (BF%) is a better indicator. Your Doctor could have a nurse measure that for you. Or there are ways to do that at home.
See below.

A BMI of 23 is on the high side of normal. Better to be on the low side of normal. So you might still improve cholesterol levels and your general health by losing a little more weight. Since the BMI tables are based on averages and the average person is a little overweight, the BMI scale might be a little skewed.
According to Dr. Greger, the optimal BMI for longevity is between 20 and 22.
But again, BMI tables are skewed if you are athletic or muscular.

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