Let me talk about the latest conclusion first.
You can follow the steps below to judge whether your blood indicators are healthy: if triglycerides ≦ 0.5 mmol/L, then you are healthy; otherwise, if high-density lipoprotein ≧ 1.5 mmol/L, then you are healthy; If the above two are not met if the ratio of triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein is less than 0.8, it is healthy; if the above three are not met, it is recommended to go for a more detailed physical examination.
You may find it a bit strange, where did the legendary "bad cholesterol" go? Don't you need to think about it?
Let's analyze the basis of the above method in detail below:
1. "Bad cholesterol" is not all bad
One of Dr. Mason's clients was rejected by the insurance company because of "excess cholesterol".
This gentleman's data is like this:
- The total cholesterol is 8.8mmol/L, which exceeds the upper limit of 5.5mmol;
- the high-density lipoprotein is 1.7 mmol/L, which exceeds the upper limit of 1.5mmol;
- the low-density lipoprotein is 6.7mmol/L, which exceeds the upper limit of 3.5mmol mmol;
The insurance company believes that this person's total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (the so-called "bad cholesterol") exceed the standard and belong to a high-risk group.
But in fact, this person's physique is like this:
The whole body is a muscle, there is almost no fat accumulation, and the health is exploding.
The data is so inconsistent with the actual health situation. What is the problem?
Low-density lipoprotein is actually an essential tissue of the human body. Imagine that if something is really "bad", then why is there a minimum limit?
Isn’t it better if the content is 0? The really bad LDLs are Glycated LDL and Oxidized LDL.
The oxidized LDL easily penetrates the blood vessel wall, forming the symptoms of atherosclerosis-its content is highly correlated with cardiovascular diseases, and we should avoid it.
So why does healthy LDL become glycated/oxidized LDL?
The main reason is that blood sugar is too high for a long time.
When the glucose in the blood is in a high range for a long time, the glucose will combine with LDL to form glycated LDL. The glycated LDL is also more likely to become oxidized LDL (especially when we eat too much vegetable oil containing "omega-6").
And this is why, when judging a person's cardiovascular disease risk, we will refer to a "diabetes" related indicator-glycosylated hemoglobin. Glycated hemoglobin is a substance formed by combining a protein cell in red blood cells with glucose. Because this "glycation" is irreversible, there will be more and more of this substance in the same red blood cell until the red blood cell naturally dies after 3 months. Therefore, we use glycosylated hemoglobin to reflect the average blood glucose level over 3 months. If the degree of glycated hemoglobin is high, it means that the sugar content is high, and it also means that the chance of LDL becoming glycated LDL will increase. The glycated LDL is also easy to further evolve into oxidized LDL.
2. How to judge the number of "bad components" in "bad cholesterol" Our most common blood fat reports include:
- Total Cholesterol
- High-density lipoprotein
- Low-density lipoprotein
- Triglycerides
But what few people know is that only 3 of these 4 indicators are measured. The low-density lipoprotein that we fear most is actually estimated. It stands to reason that total cholesterol = VLDL + IDL + LDL + HDL. From a more detailed hierarchical measurement, we can see the existence of these components:
But this kind of measurement is too time-consuming and laborious, usually, LDL will simplify the following data to give the calculated value
- VLDL uses a guessed number
- IDL assumes 0
Then, we have the so-called LDL = Total Cholesterol-HDL-Estimated VLDL (Although we can't directly judge the health level even if the accurate LDL is given, the figure that comes out like this is too inaccurate, right? ......) And fortunately, we don’t have to worry about this LDL number, because the content of glycated/oxidized LDL that we need to care about most can be determined by measuring high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides. We call healthy LDL as type A LDL, and unhealthy oxidation state LDL as type B LDL. After a lot of data summary, we found that the distribution of type A and type B is related to high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides.
We found that when triglycerides are lower than 0.5mmol/L, almost all LDL is type A LDL. Therefore, we have the first criterion:
If triglyceride ≦ 0.5 mmol/L, you are healthy;
The high-density lipoprotein also has a similar relationship:
We found that when HDL is higher than 1.5mmol/L, most of them are type A LDL. So there is a second criterion:
If high-density lipoprotein ≧ 1.5 mmol/L, you are healthy;
Furthermore, the ratio of triglycerides and high-density lipoproteins has a similar relationship:
If the triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein is lower than 0.8 (mmol/mmol), it can also be inferred that the type of LDL is typed A. Therefore, we have a third criterion: if the ratio of triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein ≦ 0.8, it is healthy; it should be noted that the above three are very "conservative" criteria, that is, if you meet any of the above 3 criteria, statistically speaking, you have a high probability of being healthy. Paul Mason’s client has passed the 2nd and 3rd standards.
- HDL 1.7mmol> 1.5mmol
- Triglycerides/HDL = 0.9/1.7 = 0.53 <0.8
If all three are not met, your LDL may have glycation/oxidation components, which is worth doing more tests to understand the specific situation. People who have followed a low-carbon ketogenic lifestyle for a period of time can often see improvements in two to three standards.
Summary
LDL is not all bad, and the glycated/oxidized LDL is highly related to cardiovascular disease. Due to the inaccuracy of ordinary tests, it is not recommended to refer to total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins, but to use triglycerides and high-density lipoproteins to judge health:
- if triglycerides ≦ 0.5 mmol/L, It is healthy;
- otherwise, if HDL ≧ 1.5 mmol/L, it is also healthy;
- if the above two are not met, if the ratio of triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein ≦ 0.8, it is also healthy;
- if the above three are not If yes, it is recommended to do a more detailed physical examination.
The most direct way to avoid glycation/oxidation of LDL is to adopt a low-carbon/ketogenic lifestyle and keep the average blood sugar level at a healthy low.
See also:
- Cholesterol care
- 9 Best At-Home Kidney Tests Buyers Guide In 2022
- What Is Blood Test For Iron Called?
- 2022 Best Home Hemoglobin Meter Buyers Guide
- Cholesterol test at home: Everything You Want to Know 2022 Version