Lipid panel and fasting protocol

Medical Q&A [Moderated]
1

So apparently I was supposed to fast for 12 hours before my lipid panel was taken, but I didn’t do that. I do eat my biggest meals early in the day which was before the lipid panel was taken.

My LDL number did go up a bit from two years ago, but I may not have eaten then (and actually I think I recently added 3 eggs to my diet).

So, are these number valid if I didn’t fast for 12 hours first? You can see my LDL is a bit high:

HDL 73 mg/dL, CHOLESTEROL 194 mg/dL, TRIGLYCERIDES 57 mg/dL, LDL 110 mg/dL, NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL 121 mg/dL

2

The only time I might repeat a test like this under fasting conditions is if the triglycerides were extremely elevated, which yours are not. I would not expect this test to change significantly if you were fasted.

1 Like
3

Thank you for such a quick response! I’ll see what I can do to bring that LDL number down - it seems to me it’s getting kind of high.

4

Our thoughts on this topic are listed here:

1 Like
5

Thank you so much - I really appreciate that you can respond to all of these questions!

Those articles are great - the point about replacing animal fats with other healthier fats is well taken - I cook my 3 morning eggs in olive oil and I have no attachment to the egg yolks which I’ll just scoop out (they do have a fair amount of cholesterol in them).

I can’t say enough good things about the articles on your web site - staying close to what the evidence supports and staying in line with the current medical recommendations is really important to me.

It’s also really helpful that you guys point out (in your podcast and articles) where their are potential gaps in these recommendations and where some of the recommendations may be problematic.

In any case: “ten out of ten would recommend” as one of you guys likes to say

6

Glad you found the articles helpful. I would just point out this section from the second article:

You may be surprised that we do not place a lot of emphasis on the total amount of fat or cholesterol in the diet. This is because these factors are less significant compared to the types of fats that are eaten on a regular basis.

For most folks, dietary cholesterol is not the first / primary target we work on with folks who have lipid issues. If we feel we have maxed out all of the other possible dietary & lifestyle interventions without getting to goal, it can be worth experimenting with cholesterol intake at that point, with or without the use of medications, if needed.d

7

Point well taken! In my case, most other things are in check - what makes me focus on eggs in particular is that adding more eggs is about the only thing that’s changed in my diet since my previous test 2 years earlier which did have a lower LDL.