[jps]

Also Frank, there is a relatively new lipid profile called the VAP test. It measures subunits of LDL and HDL to give a more comprehensive profile. If anybody is concerned, they may want to have their doctor order it. Takes awhile for the results to return because only one lab in the country performs it IIRC.

[fgummett]

Thanks jps... Good to know.

I guess the overall point is that the emphasis has shifted from the grossly oversimplified and all encompassing "high cholesterol", to an ever so slightly more detailed HDL and LDL, to adding Trigs, and now finally subsets of the above... and even this research seems to focus mainly on the effect on men when it seems clear that cholesterol advice for men and women needs to be different.

Another issue seems to be the time-lag between the latest findings and changes to the guidelines around which our Doctors are expected to work.

[ShottleBop]

I have been eating low-carb (trying to stay between 30-50 grams of carbs a day) since May, 2008. In that time, my HDL has increased from the low 40s to 65, and my triglycerides have declined from 140-something to 84. From August to November, however, my LDL rose from 194 to 287, and my total cholesterol from 269 to 369. I have read that LDL can go up, before going down, on a low-carb diet, and am in a waiting mode. I have also bought, and read, both books titled The Great Cholesteroal Con (one by Miles Kendrick, and the other by Anthony Colpo). Research has not established that cholesterol is the cause of cardiovascular disease, and I have chosen not to stress about it.

In deference to my doctor, however, for this next 4-month period I have reduced my consumption of cheese, and have been eating less fatty meats and fewer burgers (as well as fish--primarily sardines, smoked herring, or salmon--on nearly a daily basis)--but I think controlling blood sugar is of primary importance: last night, we went out to dinner with some friends, then came back to our house to watch a movie. Dinner (a carne asada salad) had evidently not been enough. I had a couple of squares of 88% dark chocolate, and a small piece of maple fudge that a friend had brought to our open house the day before. When I found myself wanting more sweet stuff, I stopped, realized that dinner had not been enough, and pulled out the turkey pastrami, salami, and cheese. I ate no more carbs.

[jillybean]

My triglycerides got cut about in half from diagnosis to my net blood work 3 months later on a diet low in carbs and higher in fat. Despite what many may have you think, fat isn't the enemy it's been made out to be!

[dlife]

Thanks riosmom. I'll try pan frying salmon like you explained.