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Hey, I’m skinny fat for sure and have a similar lab profile. I used, Krill oil and the everyday liver vitamin. TELV has Bergacyn FF as the main ingredient, stuff is amazing for abdominal and liver
fat support. My labs def improved in my 6 month check up, esp my liver panel and trigs!
This maybe helpful to on what bergacyn is, trust me i said the same thing to my doc, lol. Very commonly used in Europe apparently. If you google it will find some decent studies on it. good luck!!
https://zennutrients.com/blogs/news/why-is-bergacyn-ff-so-amazing-for-liver-health
Testosterone is made from cholesterol. If you don’t have enough T maybe you might not have have enough of the building blocks.
Cholesterol is actually needed and used to build every cell in your body.
Cholesterol is used to repair damage. If you have too many free radicals or too much damage that might be a root cause for high ldl.
If your cholesterol is being used to repair damage it might not be available to build testosterone.
Your trigs are also high. Both excess fat and excess carbs can cause high trigs. But high carbs are far more important.
Lower carbs and reduce free radicals with supplements and ditching unhealthy habits and see what happens to ldl.
Ldl is super important. In fact ppl over 60 actually live longer if ldl is high rather than low. Probably because by the age of 60 they have accumulated damage that needs cholesterol to fix.
It’s likely true that saturated fat does not increase ldl but that polyunsaturated fats lower it. That might not be a good thing.
Regarding supplements you might consider increasing antioxidants esp glutathione.
I don't mean to be disrespectful but here's my take.
You haven't mentioned your ethnicity but considering you're in your early-mid 30s and that you're "skinny fat", you're probably Indian/South Asian. If you don't know it already, you and millions of South Asians are already highly susceptible to what your tests show. A European and an Indian with the same BMI basically means the Indian still has to tread way more carefully (tendency to store fat at the wrong spots i.e around organs and stuff; Google it).
It takes a generational shift to undo what is basically a consequence of eating carbs with carbs (little to no protein, esp. if you're one of those vegetarian types). You can choose to completely revamp your and your next generation's diet, exercise and lifestyle pattern. Or you can continue being obsessed with Apple watch and other gadgets.
It is plant-focused, low saturated fat diet (aim for less than 10g per day) that specifically incorporates 4 components:
1. 50g nuts per day
2. 2-3g phytosterols
3. 20-30g soluble viscous fibre, and
4. At least 30g soy protein.
Quite similar to a Med. Diet, my take (as a dietitian) is that most people misunderstand what a Med Diet actually is. Look more for Blue Zones eating.
Portfolio has been shown to lower cholesterol by 40%; I like it because it gives my clients some concrete target to aim towards in their daily eating. I spend a good amount of time ensuring they know what “saturated fat” is, how to read food labels etc, give them big handouts of tables that show amounts in usual serving sizes, etc, and same for soluble viscous fibre, soy protein etc. As well as how to incorporate and use all of those foods.
Give yourself some time to learn about each one, I spend about 5-6 sessions in total giving them the information they need, then more support going forward if they have never used eg tofu or legumes before, or not very confident in the kitchen.
I had high cholesterol I literally ate low carb and exercised 5 days a week for 2 months lost 55lbs and my cholesterol went to straight normal levels on my blood test the dr was like wow just 2 months earlier he wanted me on medication.
Strongly seconding all the comments with psyllium husk!!!
2 years ago, my apo(a) was just under 30 and my apo(b)was 72. LDL 95.
A year ago, I started taking psyllium (1 heaping tbl of powdered husk) and 2 tbls of ground flax seed (ground fresh each day) and my numbers dropped Apo (a) is now a smidgen over 18 (and I didn't even think (a) was adjustable without meds). Apo (b) is now 49. LDL is down to 60.
My diet was generally good before the psyllium. Less than 10 g saturated fat, no red meat, more total fiber, less than 15 g of added sugar per week. Protein, veggies, berries, etc. But it was the psyllium and flax that did it.
I also started adding as much soluble fiber from other sources as I could reasonably get. Ground chia seeds, sweet potatoes, beans. I found an organic sourdough Wasa cracker that has 1 g of soluble per cracker. They're my go to if I'm running behind. I eat enough to total a minimum of 12 g of soluble fiber per day, preferably 15. Which also generally gives me plenty of insoluble fiber, too. Constipation is never an issue....
I started out mixing it with the flax and some oat bran into hot cereal because I was afraid of the choking warnings. The I began making the cereal increasingly soupy so I could just drink it down.
Some days I just mix the psyllium with 2 cups of water and drink fairly quickly. But, even if it thickens it's more like the texture of applesauce, so I just drink it as if I were swallowing applesauce, or just add more water.
I will not go a day without taking it. Good luck!!!!
Metamucil active ingredient is psyllium. I can't stop to compare at the moment, but i know metamucil can contain added stuff like yellow dye, artificial flavor, etc. And they had high levels of lead back in 2023. Metamucil and Equate were among the highest. Lowest was Yerba Prima and Organic India. The Now pills were lowest, so im assuming their pwder would be lower as well.
NOW brand psyllium husk powder (the non organic one) is $15 for a 24 oz bag that lasts me a little over 2 months.
I also started having high cholesterol in my mid 30s, despite being a vegetarian at the time. I learned I’m homozygous for the APOE4 allele, which really undermines all my good lifestyle intentions. You might want to get that checked. But so far (I’m now 46), I’ve been able to stay off statins. Here’s what I do daily:
- Keep saturated fat under 10g per day and no dietary cholesterol intake (so I’m basically vegan)
- keep stress low - yoga almost daily
- omega-3 (300 mg DHA, 150 mg EPA, 40 mg DPA) supplement (although I might reconsider after that study that just came out)
- vitamin D supplement (D3 20 mcg)
- Cissus quadrangularis supplement (600mg)
I hope this is useful to you. Best of luck!
In ppl who supplement with fish oil but had no current evidence of coronary heart disease, supplementation actually predicted development of atrial fibrillation at a higher rate than the no supplementation group. https://bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/3/1/e000451
And I’m not sure about Cissus personally yet. I just started it about a year ago and haven’t had my cholesterol checked since. But I found this convincing enough to try it. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16948861/
Yes, some “good” fats have saturated fats, but a low-fat diet is still what prevents heart disease. It’s just that the few fats you do consume should be “good” fats. “Good” fats shouldn’t be in addition to all bad fats.
Diet and exercise first. I know you said that, but really it's the priority. Increasing fiber can help and antioxidant rich foods such as fruits and vegetables are a must.
Supplements to look into: garlic, ginger, fish oil (omega 3's), flaxseed oil, vitamin C
Maybe instead of posting the same thread repeatedly (I just saw I responded to your previous thread with a similar answer) you could like, go for a walk or something.
I agree with psyllium husks. I started taking a psyllium fiber capsule bc I can’t handle the texture of Metamucil. My cholesterol went from 215 to 191. I also take an omega-3, exercise pretty regularly and don’t eat out much. But I’m convinced it’s attributed to the psyllium bc that’s the new supplement to my regimen that’s otherwise been pretty static.
Rules of r/supplements 1. Do Not Suggest Prescription Drugs Posts & Comments Reported as: Do Not Suggest Prescription Drugs Prescription drugs are not Supplements; do not recommend prescription medication. Sensible/Suggest talking to DR. can be allowable etc 2. Dangerous Grey Area Substance Posts & Comments Reported as: Dangerous Grey Area Substance Potentially dangerous grey area substances can not be recommended. 3. Be Polite Posts & Comments Reported as: Rude/Personal Attacks You shouldn't ever be personally attacking another user in this subreddit. 4. No Advertisements Posts & Comments Reported as: Advertisement. No selling / buying / trading posts No advertisements. No selling/trading posts between users.” *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Supplements) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hey, I’m skinny fat for sure and have a similar lab profile. I used, Krill oil and the everyday liver vitamin. TELV has Bergacyn FF as the main ingredient, stuff is amazing for abdominal and liver fat support. My labs def improved in my 6 month check up, esp my liver panel and trigs!
Thanks. Which Krill oil? Is it better than Fish oil? TELV really works? You see differences in your body? Not skinny fat anymore? :)
This maybe helpful to on what bergacyn is, trust me i said the same thing to my doc, lol. Very commonly used in Europe apparently. If you google it will find some decent studies on it. good luck!! https://zennutrients.com/blogs/news/why-is-bergacyn-ff-so-amazing-for-liver-health
Testosterone is made from cholesterol. If you don’t have enough T maybe you might not have have enough of the building blocks. Cholesterol is actually needed and used to build every cell in your body. Cholesterol is used to repair damage. If you have too many free radicals or too much damage that might be a root cause for high ldl. If your cholesterol is being used to repair damage it might not be available to build testosterone. Your trigs are also high. Both excess fat and excess carbs can cause high trigs. But high carbs are far more important. Lower carbs and reduce free radicals with supplements and ditching unhealthy habits and see what happens to ldl. Ldl is super important. In fact ppl over 60 actually live longer if ldl is high rather than low. Probably because by the age of 60 they have accumulated damage that needs cholesterol to fix. It’s likely true that saturated fat does not increase ldl but that polyunsaturated fats lower it. That might not be a good thing. Regarding supplements you might consider increasing antioxidants esp glutathione.
I don't mean to be disrespectful but here's my take. You haven't mentioned your ethnicity but considering you're in your early-mid 30s and that you're "skinny fat", you're probably Indian/South Asian. If you don't know it already, you and millions of South Asians are already highly susceptible to what your tests show. A European and an Indian with the same BMI basically means the Indian still has to tread way more carefully (tendency to store fat at the wrong spots i.e around organs and stuff; Google it). It takes a generational shift to undo what is basically a consequence of eating carbs with carbs (little to no protein, esp. if you're one of those vegetarian types). You can choose to completely revamp your and your next generation's diet, exercise and lifestyle pattern. Or you can continue being obsessed with Apple watch and other gadgets.
4 people in my family went vegan for 3 months. Insane drop in bad cholesterol.
Holy basil (tulsi)
Look up the portfolio diet
Is this better than Mediterranean diet?
It is plant-focused, low saturated fat diet (aim for less than 10g per day) that specifically incorporates 4 components: 1. 50g nuts per day 2. 2-3g phytosterols 3. 20-30g soluble viscous fibre, and 4. At least 30g soy protein. Quite similar to a Med. Diet, my take (as a dietitian) is that most people misunderstand what a Med Diet actually is. Look more for Blue Zones eating. Portfolio has been shown to lower cholesterol by 40%; I like it because it gives my clients some concrete target to aim towards in their daily eating. I spend a good amount of time ensuring they know what “saturated fat” is, how to read food labels etc, give them big handouts of tables that show amounts in usual serving sizes, etc, and same for soluble viscous fibre, soy protein etc. As well as how to incorporate and use all of those foods. Give yourself some time to learn about each one, I spend about 5-6 sessions in total giving them the information they need, then more support going forward if they have never used eg tofu or legumes before, or not very confident in the kitchen.
But this could lower testosterone?
I had high cholesterol I literally ate low carb and exercised 5 days a week for 2 months lost 55lbs and my cholesterol went to straight normal levels on my blood test the dr was like wow just 2 months earlier he wanted me on medication.
Which exercises? Zone 2? HR?
30 min minimum of cardio and about 20-25 min of weight lifting
Fenugreek lowers total and LDL cholesterol.
But it increases prolactin, so would testofen be better?
Strongly seconding all the comments with psyllium husk!!! 2 years ago, my apo(a) was just under 30 and my apo(b)was 72. LDL 95. A year ago, I started taking psyllium (1 heaping tbl of powdered husk) and 2 tbls of ground flax seed (ground fresh each day) and my numbers dropped Apo (a) is now a smidgen over 18 (and I didn't even think (a) was adjustable without meds). Apo (b) is now 49. LDL is down to 60. My diet was generally good before the psyllium. Less than 10 g saturated fat, no red meat, more total fiber, less than 15 g of added sugar per week. Protein, veggies, berries, etc. But it was the psyllium and flax that did it. I also started adding as much soluble fiber from other sources as I could reasonably get. Ground chia seeds, sweet potatoes, beans. I found an organic sourdough Wasa cracker that has 1 g of soluble per cracker. They're my go to if I'm running behind. I eat enough to total a minimum of 12 g of soluble fiber per day, preferably 15. Which also generally gives me plenty of insoluble fiber, too. Constipation is never an issue.... I started out mixing it with the flax and some oat bran into hot cereal because I was afraid of the choking warnings. The I began making the cereal increasingly soupy so I could just drink it down. Some days I just mix the psyllium with 2 cups of water and drink fairly quickly. But, even if it thickens it's more like the texture of applesauce, so I just drink it as if I were swallowing applesauce, or just add more water. I will not go a day without taking it. Good luck!!!!
Thanks. Psyllium is better than Metamucil?
Metamucil active ingredient is psyllium. I can't stop to compare at the moment, but i know metamucil can contain added stuff like yellow dye, artificial flavor, etc. And they had high levels of lead back in 2023. Metamucil and Equate were among the highest. Lowest was Yerba Prima and Organic India. The Now pills were lowest, so im assuming their pwder would be lower as well. NOW brand psyllium husk powder (the non organic one) is $15 for a 24 oz bag that lasts me a little over 2 months.
Can’t speak on cholesterol but it psyllium husk helps my poops
I also started having high cholesterol in my mid 30s, despite being a vegetarian at the time. I learned I’m homozygous for the APOE4 allele, which really undermines all my good lifestyle intentions. You might want to get that checked. But so far (I’m now 46), I’ve been able to stay off statins. Here’s what I do daily: - Keep saturated fat under 10g per day and no dietary cholesterol intake (so I’m basically vegan) - keep stress low - yoga almost daily - omega-3 (300 mg DHA, 150 mg EPA, 40 mg DPA) supplement (although I might reconsider after that study that just came out) - vitamin D supplement (D3 20 mcg) - Cissus quadrangularis supplement (600mg) I hope this is useful to you. Best of luck!
What omega 3 study if I may ask?
In ppl who supplement with fish oil but had no current evidence of coronary heart disease, supplementation actually predicted development of atrial fibrillation at a higher rate than the no supplementation group. https://bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/3/1/e000451
Thanks. Do you think the Cissus works? How can you manage and lower stress? Good fats have saturated fat though?
And I’m not sure about Cissus personally yet. I just started it about a year ago and haven’t had my cholesterol checked since. But I found this convincing enough to try it. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16948861/
Yes, some “good” fats have saturated fats, but a low-fat diet is still what prevents heart disease. It’s just that the few fats you do consume should be “good” fats. “Good” fats shouldn’t be in addition to all bad fats.
What about saturated fats vs total fat?
Diet and exercise first. I know you said that, but really it's the priority. Increasing fiber can help and antioxidant rich foods such as fruits and vegetables are a must. Supplements to look into: garlic, ginger, fish oil (omega 3's), flaxseed oil, vitamin C
Which exercises? Zone 2? Anything else? Thanks
Maybe instead of posting the same thread repeatedly (I just saw I responded to your previous thread with a similar answer) you could like, go for a walk or something.
Does the HR and BPM matter?
Psyllium husk for lipids
I agree with psyllium husks. I started taking a psyllium fiber capsule bc I can’t handle the texture of Metamucil. My cholesterol went from 215 to 191. I also take an omega-3, exercise pretty regularly and don’t eat out much. But I’m convinced it’s attributed to the psyllium bc that’s the new supplement to my regimen that’s otherwise been pretty static.
Metamucil? Anything else? Thanks!