Diet confusion

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pharmacydoc
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Diet confusion

Post by pharmacydoc »

My recent labs:

June 2023

Total Cholesterol 206
Triglycerides 55
HDL 73
LDL 126

October 2024

Total cholesterol 184
Triglycerides 79
HDL 63
LDL 106
ApoB 85

I am a 74-year-old woman. Last year, I was concerned about my high LDL, especially since I had a high Coronary Calcium score of 255 in 2019. In June 2023, I ate very little red meat but still ate fish and chicken for protein. I went vegan and oil-free in May of this year after reading Dr. Greger's book, How Not to Die. I got the LDL down to 106, but my HDL has decreased, and TG went way up! My weight is up, too. I'm 5'1" and 144 pounds, and I'm having trouble getting the weight down. I'm trying not to eat after dinner, but I often wake up hungry around 3 am and can't get back to sleep until 5 am.

My questions: 1. I'm unsure if I should add fish or chicken to my diet to decrease the carbs and get the TG back down. 2. How can I not eat after dinner and somehow manage to sleep through the night? A protein drink at bedtime will not be in line with Bredesen guidelines. 3. Maybe I've been too concerned with LDL instead of HDL and TG? If I eat more meat, the ApoB will probably increase.
NF52
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Re: Diet confusion

Post by NF52 »

pharmacydoc wrote: Thu Dec 26, 2024 11:49 am My recent labs:

June 2023

Total Cholesterol 206
Triglycerides 55
HDL 73
LDL 126

October 2024

Total cholesterol 184
Triglycerides 79
HDL 63
LDL 106
ApoB 85

I am a 74-year-old woman. Last year, I was concerned about my high LDL, especially since I had a high Coronary Calcium score of 255 in 2019. In June 2023, I ate very little red meat but still ate fish and chicken for protein. I went vegan and oil-free in May of this year after reading Dr. Greger's book, How Not to Die. I got the LDL down to 106, but my HDL has decreased, and TG went way up! My weight is up, too. I'm 5'1" and 144 pounds, and I'm having trouble getting the weight down. I'm trying not to eat after dinner, but I often wake up hungry around 3 am and can't get back to sleep until 5 am.

My questions: 1. I'm unsure if I should add fish or chicken to my diet to decrease the carbs and get the TG back down. 2. How can I not eat after dinner and somehow manage to sleep through the night? A protein drink at bedtime will not be in line with Bredesen guidelines. 3. Maybe I've been too concerned with LDL instead of HDL and TG? If I eat more meat, the ApoB will probably increase.
Hi PharmacyDoc,

I'm a 72 year old woman with ApoE 4/4 who admires your determination! I also have struggled with weight issues and take some comfort in research that suggests women who are overweight (not obese) appear to have no significantly greater risk of AD than those of normal weight. Doesn't mean I wouldn't think about ozempic if I weren't in a clinical trial!
You might want to plug your numbers into this coronary age 10-year risk calculator from the Multi-Ethnic Study on Aging (MESA): https://www.mesa-nhlbi.org/CACReference.aspx. It's possible that your vegan diet, which is probably limited by the Eosinophilic Esophagitis you've mentioned before, is contributing to the higher triglycerides. But since I'm not a nutritionist (or a decent cook for that matter!) you might want to consider a consultation with one.

I do think sleep is important and saw an intriguing article about an insomnia drug, belsomra: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-re ... s-proteins Are you still taking the HRT, since that may help with the 3 AM waking up, per anecdotal evidence from a friend about your age who swears by it for better sleep, energy and mood.

Here's hoping for a better 2025!
Nancy
4/4 and still an optimist!
pharmacydoc
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Re: Diet confusion

Post by pharmacydoc »

Hi Nancy, thanks for your reply. Interestingly, I stopped estrogen and progesterone about 6 months ago because of cancer concerns. However, I just resumed it this week. I had occasional nights of wakefulness while on hormones, but nothing like the difficulty I've had the past few weeks. I'll give the HRT a few weeks, then post whether it helps.

I consulted with a dietician who told me that I can't get enough protein on a vegan diet if I don't eat soy. I can't eat soy, dairy, gluten, or tree nuts due to multiple sensitivities. So, I'm adding fish and seafood back into my diet.
Plumster
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Re: Diet confusion

Post by Plumster »

pharmacydoc wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2024 2:15 pm I consulted with a dietician who told me that I can't get enough protein on a vegan diet if I don't eat soy. I can't eat soy, dairy, gluten, or tree nuts due to multiple sensitivities. So, I'm adding fish and seafood back into my diet.
Excuse my language, but that's nonsense from that dietician. How embarrassing for the field of dieticians. You can most certainly get all the protein you need on a vegan diet without soy. I do not eat soy and use cronometer to track my protein. I eat beans and legumes, plus most plant-based foods have protein.
e3/4 MTHFR C677T/A1298C COMT V158M++ COMT H62H++ MTRR A66G ++ HLA DR
pharmacydoc
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Re: Diet confusion

Post by pharmacydoc »

Thanks, Plumster! There is undoubtedly conflicting information out there. I'll start logging my food into Cronometer to check that I'm getting enough protein.
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