Normal LDL but High Triglycerides

How can someone have a normal LDL but still have a high triglyceride level?  I thought those two went together  
(e.g. LDL = 112, HDL = 37, triglycerides = 171).

[barn babe]

Because you're  still eating too many carbs. I'd go below 100 g/day of carbs if I were you. That's the only way to lower your TG level.

Keep in mind that there are different kinds of LDL - they are not all created equally.  The larger fluffier LDL particle sizes are different from the smaller, denser kind. The larger LDL, type A pattern, is pretty harmless, whereas the small dense LDL, type B, is the kind that runs up the risk for heart disease. Every study I've ever seen  indicates that increasing the fat and decreasing the carbs in your diet will shift the LDL from the small more dangerous type to the larger fluffier variety.

So even if your LDL is "normal," you might want to ask for the special study from your doctor or lab to check your LDL type.

Yeah, I know it's easy to be seduced by the "healthful" benefits of fruits and veggies, but many of these foods are still high in carbs and shouldn't be overconsumed. If you want your TGs below 100 mg/dl, you need to ratchet down your carb intake to 30-50 gm/day.  

There are no "good" and "bad" carbs.  They all react the same way in the body - they are converted to glucose. Doesn't matter if it's "high in fiber" or not. So go easy on the carbs.

I have followed a zero-carb diet for over 10 years and am in excellent health. Carbs are completely unnecessary and should only be used as emergency fuel.

[bobthetrainer]

LDL is not just affected by carbohydrate intake.  It is also affected predominantly by alcohol intake, fat intake, and physical inactivity (in addition to genetics).

If you see someone who practices traditional western medicine, they will recommend eating a low fat diet that is low in refined sugar, low in alcohol, combined with routine exercise.

high LDL and tg's don't always go together, it varies from person to person.

[barn babe]

A low-fat diet?  Are you talking about a Pritikin-type diet? An Ornish diet? What about the Knopp study from 1997 (JAMA)? You can't discount those findings, can you? It was clearly demonstrated that despite education and support, the lowest-fat group could not tolerate the diet. As percentage of fat decreased below 30%, lipid profile risk factors worsened - in relation to the degree of lowering of dietary fat.

How about glycemic load? Do you discount that there are numerous studies citing the glycemic load's association with CRP elevation and other diabetes and CHD risk factors? And the jury ain't out on fiber, either (that would be your oh-so-healthy fruits, veggies, and grains).  If fiber indeed has any usefulness, it is in relation to carb absorption. Sorry, but this is probably not as important as a diet that is low-carb to begin with!

And Dean Ornish showing objective evidence of improvement in disease states - well, that's a load. He used angiography and showed questionable changes. And Ornish's diet was never studied alone. It was always combined with other "lifestyle" interventions, like meditation, exercise, and counseling. So it is outrageous that Ornish is allowed to get away with statements like, "My studies showed actual documented reversal of heart disease based on my diet." I saw him in an interview once saying that "meat causes heart disease." Where's the level playing field here, folks?

There is a very strong, biased mindset against a high-fat diet in this country. The scientists, researchers, agribusiness interests, AMA, FDA, Food Pyramid hacks, cholesterol neurotics, statin producers, and other low-fat proponents are not unbiased in their research and are closed to the alternative.

There's no evidence that a low-fat diet will "cure" anything, and it will certainly not prevent heart disease or strokes. Neither will statin therapy.  

Stick to a high-animal-fat diet - watch the weight fall off, watch your energy levels improve, watch your appetite become suppressed, watch your endurance improve. I became convinced a decade ago. For 10 years, I've eaten nothing but animal products - 80% fat, 20% protein. I'm slim, healthy, and trim. I work out a couple of hours every day. But it takes guts to get past the dogma, to step outside the mainstream. Most people won't be able to do it, out of fear and societal pressure, but also because of acculturation. We were all taught by our mothers that we are supposed to eat veggies. They were taught that by their mothers, and their mothers by their mothers, etc.  Overcoming acculturation is the biggest hurdle. Once you do the research, do the reading, you will start to understand how long we've been taken for a ride in this country on false research, false hope, and a diet that is, truly,  putting us 6 feet underground. The U.S. population has been the guinea pig in a giant experiment called the "low-fat diet." It's a sham, and it's killing us.

[star queen]

Test results for LDL or "bad" cholesterol in the blood are considered to be indicators of heart disease risk when they are sustained at levels above 160.  Optimal levels are around 100-130.  LDLs are supposed to measure the potential cholesterol that builds up on the inside of the blood vessel as plaque and may indicate a thickening of the vessel walls, or may lead to narrowing of the vessels, especially in the arteries of the heart. The test that "goes" with this is for Homocysteine. Together these two tests indicate your actual "risk" for heart disease.  Triglycerides is a test for fat molecules in the blood that circulate and "stick" to the LDL to build plaque.  It is supposed to be below 500.  High levels of Triglycerides are also associated with Pancreatitis.  To reduce either of these levels, it is recommended to lose weight if you are obese, and reduce processed sugars like those in the sugarbowl, candies, and alcohol products.  These carbs are the ones the body usually converts into triglycerides.  Complete carbs are just fine.  Supplements that are recommended are Folic Acid and B-12.  good luck

[bobthetrainer]

barn babe, I don't even know where to begin regarding your response.  It has enough holes in it to make swiss cheese.  

Your conspiracy theory is laughable.  Why would objective scientists (the majority of those publishing peer reviewed studies) be conformists?  Scientists, by nature, are looking for "the truth" to their questions-they are not looking to "fool" the American public.

Good luck with your low carb diet and lack of fruits and veggies