Ground Flaxseed

[texaswavelady]

I added 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed to my diet for the past year. I was very discouraged when I received the results of my lipid panel results. Last year: total chol.=238, trig.=59, HDL=101, LDL=125. This year: total chol.=240, trig.=67, HDL=98, LDL=128. My bad numbers went up and my good number (HDL) went down. Why?
(I am a 60 year old female. I exercise regularly (jog and ballet), I am 5'2" and weigh 92 pounds. I eat lots of high fiber foods--whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits. I limit the bad fats. I do not take any medications; however, I take 1000 mg of calcium, 1200 of vit. D, and 400 of vit. E daily.)
What can I do to lower my LDL?

[Yvette BG]

It sure sounds like you're taking all the correct measures to control your blood fat levels, which is great and not always so easy to do. Kudos!

Did your doctor measure the specific types of LDL and HDL you have? From what I understand, the levels of the various fractions of both the bad and the good cholesterol a person has makes a difference in how concerned one should be about the numbers.

[Flycaster305]

I'm not a health professional, but I'm betting your HDL levels are so high it's not a concern, your ratio is incredible.  I'm betting every cardiologist in the country would tell you to just do what you are doing.  You probably have inherited the tendency to produce somewhat high LDL's  and only certain statin drugs would bring that down.  You might throw in a couple grams of fish oil daily that might raise the HDL even higher, but it sounds like you are doing great.  Keep in mind, the good cholesterol adds to the total cholesterol count, so a high number in your case makes the total a throw-away issue.