Blood Test Results One Year Later After Going Vegan

I had a third round of blood tests done the other day, which provides for some interesting comparisons over the course of the past year. I went vegan back in March of 2015, so now I have one blood test prior to going vegan, taken a year ago, and two while eating a vegan diet.




My fasting glucose has steadily declined all the way down to an 82! My total cholesterol dropped significantly after going vegan and has held steady since. Look at those LDL numbers drop like a rock. It’s interesting that my HDL has remained completely flat this whole time, but I suppose it doesn’t matter since I have a total cholesterol of 152, which means statistically, it’s next to impossible for me to contract heart disease no matter what my HDL ratio might be.

An interesting side note on HDL numbers and triglycerides in vegans from the Lifestyle Heart Trial study:

High-density lipoprotein levels decreased and triglycerides increased in experimental group [vegan] patients overall, although the ratio of LDL to HDL was improved. Recent reports assert that this phenomenon, which is often seen in very low-fat diets, may be harmful. However, patients in the Lifestyle Heart Trial showed even more regression of coronary atherosclerosis after 5 years than after 1 year as well as significantly decreased cardiac events.

Low HDL cholesterol levels due to reduced fat intake are the result of a decreased transport rate rather than the increased catabolism that is responsible for most cases of low HDL cholesterol levels in persons consuming a typical Western diet. Populations consuming low-fat, plant-based diets have low HDL cholesterol levels and low rates of coronary heart disease.Our data provide evidence using quantitative coronary arteriography in this population that diet-induced lowering of HDL cholesterol does not confer the same risk of atherosclerosis as do low HDL cholesterol levels in Americans consuming a high-fat diet.

I’m not sure what’s going on with that spike in triglycerides. It’s probably due to the huge amount of carbs, along with alcohol, I consumed over the weekend prior to the blood test.

Along with lipid and glucose tests, I also had a complete blood panel done, with everything else coming back well within normal ranges.

Looking at these results, when I see people claiming nonsense like this, I have to question their sanity. I noticed Chris Kresser used that Egg Board funded egg study on cholesterol to back up his absurd claim that dietary cholesterol has no impact on blood cholesterol levels. As you can see by my own results, eliminating dietary cholesterol caused my total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels to drop like a rock. Further, I still consume a modest amount of saturated fat from things like french fries and the occasional processed snack food with coconut oil.

Studies that claim to show that dietary cholesterol has no impact on blood cholesterol levels are all completely rigged. For example, that egg study never used a zero dietary cholesterol baseline for comparison. They fed people either a couple of eggs, or a whole bunch of eggs, and then announced that there was no difference between the two. Well of course there was no difference because the body reaches a saturation point where additional cholesterol is not absorbed into the bloodstream, but that doesn’t mean dietary cholesterol has no impact on blood cholesterol levels.

Further, epidemiological studies can’t tease out dietary impact on cholesterol levels because of the wide variation between baseline cholesterol levels in humans, so it is expected that they will produce a null result when looking for a correlation between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels. This doesn’t mean a cause and effect does not exist, it just means that epidemiological studies don’t have the statistical power to detect the impact. To see a clear impact, medical ward and dietary change experiments are necessary. As you can see by my own dietary change experiment, it is clear that dietary cholesterol has a massive impact on blood cholesterol levels.

It’s also worth noting that I didn’t contract diabetes eating a diet of virtually pure carbohydrates. I eat massive amounts of carbs, averaging around 3000 calories per day, yet my blood sugar keeps improving. Sugar and carbs play virtually no role in type 2 diabetes at all. It’s the saturated animal fat that does all the damage. My fat intake is still relatively high because I like my vegan burgers, vegan mayo, and nuts. I’m probably doing around 30% fat in my diet, yet my fasting glucose keeps dropping. The only thing I eliminated was cholesterol and saturated animal fat to get a massive improvement in fasting glucose.

It’s also worth noting that my mother, who had diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis, is now completely cured of all of those diseases less than a year after going vegan with me, and she dropped 40 lbs in the process without any calorie counting. She also eats massive amounts of carbs and fat every day, and now she is completely off all medication.

Oh, one other thing. If anyone is interested in taking up a vegan diet to cure their diabetes, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arthritis, acne, or any other condition that has been proven to be aided by a vegan diet, please be sure to take a B12 and vitamin D supplement, which you should be doing anyways even if you're a meat eater.

a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist
I am so happy for you and your mother's success.

Calcium is a big contributor to heart disease as much or more than cholesterol. Grats on the bill of health my friend. Vit k2 is required to keep calcium from accumulating in the arteries. Sugar too but you're good there and as a vegan you probably get plenty of k2.

a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist

Consider a good b12 supplement, you won't get it at all now. Garden of Life makes an organic and vegan b12

a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist

Are you consuming any shellfish?

Things like lobster and shrimp will spike your triglycerides.

a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist



Ummm...strange...your triglyceride level actually went up into the high side...you might want to talk to your doctor about that...Lots of good information in the link I provided...



YouSir

a reply to: BlueJacket

Yeah, a B12 supplement is important, but it's just as important for meat eaters as well. Most people who are B12 deficient eat meat. I personally found that taking a vitamin D supplement is also very important if you don't get regular exposure to sunlight or live in northern latitutdes.

I started developing some eczema and seborrheic dermatitis after going vegan because I didn't get any sunlight and didn't get any vitamin D that was I getting from fortified milk before. After I started tanning and taking D supplements those conditions went away.

Another item of note, B12 and D do not need to be taken daily. People considering a switch to a vegan diet can take a high dose B12 and D supplement once a week and be covered, which makes it far more convenient.

originally posted by: 123143
a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist

Are you consuming any shellfish?

Things like lobster and shrimp will spike your triglycerides.

No, the triglyceride spike is from the huge amounts of carbs and alcohol I ate just prior to the blood test. You can see they were significantly lower in the previous test because I didn't drink or pound a mountain of tortillas prior to that test. As the study notes, a spike in triglycerides is common in vegans but has not been demonstrated to be harmful due to the super-low cholesterol levels.

Your hdl is still bad and your triglycerides almost doubled. Slow down on the sweets and/or booze.

originally posted by: avgguy
Your hdl is still bad and your triglycerides almost doubled. Slow down on the sweets and/or booze.

As the study notes, low HDL in vegans is normal, and has been shown to reverse heart disease. I already commented on the triglycerides.

a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist

Congrats on your success!

But you may want to give your diet changes a little more credit for actively reducing your cholesterol levels, since virtually all fibrous foods (which includes virtually all foods from plants) work to reduce cholesterol. For example, from Prevention:

1. Oats If you're looking to lower your cholesterol, the key may be simply changing your morning meal. Switching up your breakfast to contain two servings of oats can lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) by 5.3% in only 6 weeks. The key to this cholesterol buster is beta-glucan, a substance in oats that absorbs LDL, which your body then excretes.

And:

6. Beans Beans, beans—they really are good for your heart. Researchers at Arizona State University Polytechnic found that adding ½ cup of beans to soup lowers total cholesterol, including LDL, by up to 8%. The key to this heart-healthy food that lowers cholesterol is its abundance of fiber, which has been shown to slow the rate and amount of absorption of cholesterol in certain foods. Try black, kidney, or pinto beans; each supplies about one-third of your daily fiber needs.

So it's really not just a matter of lower cholesterol due to lower intake; many foods actually do work to reduce cholesterol in one way or another.

a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist

So how is your lipid panel accurate if you didn't fast 8-12 hours before your blood draw?

originally posted by: avgguy
a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist

So how is your lipid panel accurate if you didn't fast 8-12 hours before your blood draw?

I did fast for 12 hours prior, but the triglyceride levels take longer to come down.

Glucose is a little low. I get moody below 90.

originally posted by: skunkape23
Glucose is a little low. I get moody below 90.

Ideally you want it below 80.

To quote an study that Mercola cited:

People with a fasting blood sugar level of 100-125 mg/dl had an adjusted nearly 300% increase higher risk of having coronary heart disease than people with a level below 79 mg/dl. This information was compiled from a cross-sectional study of nearly 2500 people.

a reply to: YouSir

Alcohol spikes triglycerides

a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist

Take a food sourced d3 supplement. D is a hormone, and synthetic sources have been found to hinder the bodies ability to synthesize d3 from the sun.

a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist

Mercola is a great doctor, but he is wrong on a few of his supplements forms.

originally posted by: BlueJacket
a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist

Take a food sourced d3 supplement. D is a hormone, and synthetic sources have been found to hinder the bodies ability to synthesize d3 from the sun.

I'll keep that in mind. I took plant derived D2 and started tanning, and now I mainly just tan regularly with little to no D supplementation, and that seemed to do the trick. I agree though, I think a plant derived D3 supplement is ideal.

I wouldn't recommend tanning for anyone who is not a vegan either. Vegan diets are hugely protective against skin cancer, particularly melanoma. People eating meat and drinking alcohol who go tanning are putting themselves at significant risk.

originally posted by: BlueJacket
a reply to: AnarchoCapitalist

Mercola is a great doctor, but he is wrong on a few of his supplements forms.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of Mercola. He just happened to have posted a study I was looking for.