Lab Tests – Page 8 – BJJ Caveman

Ivor Cummins and the Cholesterol Conundrum

Posted on March 9, 2015July 30, 2017 by BJJ Caveman

In my quest to learn more about cholesterol especially given my history of developing paradoxically elevated LDL-C, LDL-P, Small LDL-P and Total cholesterol after eating low carb (here are my most recent blood lipids), I’ve scoured the net wide and far, even venturing deep into strange forums and comment threads… and still haven’t come across any clear answers.

Neither of Jimmy Moore’s books, Cholesterol Clarity nor Keto Clarity provided any clear answers.

I’ve explored the possibility of coffee being a potential source of increased LDL through the effect of diterpenes, and the effect of certain Apo-E genotypes causing this sort of paradoxical reaction (even looking into the Framingham Offspring source material itself).… Read More

Can Coffee Raise LDL?

Posted on December 15, 2014May 9, 2017 by BJJ Caveman

I was listening to the podcast of Ben Greenfield (author of Beyond Training) and was finding everything somewhat interesting until I came across a specific segment where he links coffee to high LDL! This was something I had never heard before.

You can listen to the podcast here.

And read the transcript here.

It all happens around the 38:10 mark. The theory goes something like this:

Coffee contains ‘cafestol’ and ‘kahweol’ which are compounds called diterpenes. These are found specifically in the oils of coffee beans.… Read More

Apo-E, Alcohol, and LDL Cholesterol – The Framingham Offspring Study

Posted on December 10, 2014June 15, 2015 by BJJ Caveman

I first came across this study when I read about Steve Kirsch’s experience with drinking alcohol to lower his LDL cholesterol after finding out he has an Apo E2 allele. I figured that it’d be a good idea for me to look at the actual study he referred to and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was free to the public.

In the introduction the authors summarize what is currently known about the ApoE gene and how it relates to LDL cholesterol:

Apo E3/E3 constitutes the majority of the population.

Apolipoprotein E Super Brief Overview

Posted on December 4, 2014December 1, 2014 by BJJ Caveman

After reading Steve Kirsch, aka the Paleo Drummer, describe his experience decreasing his LDL by drinking alcohol after discovering his Apo E genotype, I’ve been trying to learn more about Apolipoprotein E.

Probably the best thing that I’ve come across is the pdf summary sheet provided by Atherotech, a company that runs the test. You can find the pdf sheet itself here.

My interest lies mainly in the relationship between Apolipoprotein E and LDL status (given my elevation of all things LDL) as well as coronary vascular disease (CVD)

Apo E2

2/2: Increased risk of type III hyperlipidemia. … Read More

Thoughts on Jimmy Moore’s Latest Health Test Results

Posted on December 1, 2014February 18, 2015 by BJJ Caveman

Jimmy Moore recently published his blood work obtained during the fall of 2014. I’m truly appreciative of Jimmy’s willingness to publish information as honestly and transparently as possible, and I use him as a model for publishing my own data.

I’m particularly interested in Jimmy’s test results because like me, he too is someone who has developed stratospheric cholesterol levels while in ketosis. This has been a topic of great interest to me lately for obvious personal reasons and I’m doing my best to find as much information on this little known subject as possible, most recently exploring the thoughts of Dr.… Read More

Vitamin D Update, October 2014

Posted on November 28, 2014July 16, 2017 by BJJ Caveman

My previous Vitamin D Posts:

I hope you don’t mind if I just plagiarize myself a bit since it’s also helpful for me to go through some of this stuff:

Basics of Vitamin D
It is a hormone derived from cholesterol
It can be made in the skin with exposure to sunlight
It can also be ingested with food or supplementation
Effects of Vitamin D
Maintains calcium levels in body which is important for bone health
Regulates gene expression
Helps immune function
May provide anti-cancer effects
Vitamin D levels need to be in the 50 -70 ng/mL range for thyroid hormone receptors to respond properly
Low Vitamin D levels are seen in obesity, although I’m not entirely sure if it’s known whether obesity causes low vitamin D levels, or if it’s the other way around.