Fructose Intake = Higher Cholesterol Levels?

[esmee]

That is interesting, ukbill. It sounds like you do best with fats that are still in the original food product (fat in milk, meat, eggs, etc.) as opposed to fats that have been extracted (olive oil, fish oil, etc). I am actually the same way. I don't even do well with butter unfortunately. I really wonder if the HFI affects fat metabolism is some way also, especially if one has spend a good part of their life continuing to ingest fructose prior to diagnosis. Is it possible that a chronic build-up of Fructose-1-Phosphate in the liver over many years can affect the liver's ability to metabolise fat?

[tikitavi]

I tried another cholesterol test this morning, as our local pharmacy was offering them for a very affordable price. Once again, my blood was really thick and didn't want to go up into the little pipette. The pharmacist was finally able to get some blood up in the pipette and ran the test, but she wasn't 100% sure of the results. But, the results were the usual for me. Great triglycerides and HDL, but the LDL was very high. She was concerned that the results were incorrect and wanted to try again, but after pricking me again, the blood was just refusing to come out, so we gave up and just used the initial results.

At any rate, that convinced me that my hypothesis about fructose intake affecting my cholesterol was unfounded. Completely reducing my fructose and sucrose intake for about a month and a half, hasn't change my cholesterol figures a smidge. Although, it has helped me feel a million times better - so that's the important part!

I was reading about how when the triglycerides and HDL numbers are good and the LDL is high, it could be that the LDL is pattern "A" (which is good), rather than pattern "B" (which is the high-risk one). So, I found a lab that does the VAP test which tells you which pattern your LDL belongs to. I will schedule that test soon. Hopefully I'm the "good" one!

[tikitavi]

I got my VAP cholesterol results. The total cholesterol and LDL are both SKY HIGH. But, the HDL is very good, as well as the trigylcerides. And the cholesterol is pattern A, as I suspected, which is very good. My blood pressure is very good and so is my BMI too.

I entered my data into the American Heart Association's website calculator, and it said I am at very low risk (1%) for heart attack or stroke. So that is good! I guess I won't worry about it then.

Still shows that my theory was wrong about a correlation between fructose and high cholesterol, since I haven't had fructose or dextrose in about 2 months now.

[colormist]

I remember from past cholesterol tests that my bad numbers were low (which was good) and my good numbers were really high (which was also good). But then again, I was only in my 20's when that test was taken.

[ukbill]

Ok just got my bloods back..

Not good or so I'm told.

Cholesterol 6.6
Triglyceride 4.46
HDL 1.02
LOL 3.55

Anybody know what this lot mean?

I am sure that Dr Lustig said that HDL is bad cholesterol because its small and gets stuck under the platelets in our blood vessels, so causing hardening of the arteries.

Maybe I need to watch the video again.

This is going to be interesting trying to get these down.. I react badly to statins.

OK Dr said not had statins (YET) so I what I react to is plant sterols as in Benecol (in the UK) its a veg based spread to be used instead of butter.

So I have to try to reduce my Triglycerides over next 3 months and have another blood test to see if I have to go on Statins or not.

4 years ago my triglycerides were 1.8 now 4.46!

Apparently anything over 2 is bad news..

There go my steak egg and chip suppers for a month or 3

I get fed up of eating chicken and fish! I must eat a small flock of chickens a year not to mention a large lake full of fish, prawns and mussels!

Oh well got to be done.

[tikitavi]

Well, when I converted those numbers to the American equivalent, my total cholesterol and LDL figures are far higher than yours. My trigs are much lower though. At any rate, according to the American Heart Association's risk assessment quiz, my risk is extremely low for heart attack or stroke. So numbers can be deceiving, and not tell the whole story.

Here is the risk assessment test - you will need to convert your figures to the American version, I'll post a link to that converter too:

www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/HeartAttackToolsResources/Heart-Attack-Risk-Assessment_UCM_303944_Article.jsp

Convert figures here:
www.prolipid.com/tips-and-tools/cholesterol-unit-converter.html

Let me know what your results are in the risk assessment!

[tikitavi]

Just wanted to add that I don't plan on trying to get my numbers lower, as long as the heart association still says I am extremely low risk.

I was reading about the "French Paradox" and the "Swiss Paradox", where their cholesterol numbers are super high but yet their incidence of heart disease is actually lower than other countries. From what I can understand, it seems to be that grassfed saturated fats are "pattern A", which is good and protective.

I've also read that certain parts of Northern Italy fall within that paradox too. My ancestry is partially from there.