Can Diet & Exercise Make Cholesterol Worse? You’ll be Shocked at what Experts Have to Say!

 

The results may be shocking! These days Medical Science has lost all its merit. Especially when you consider notions such as:

• Coffee can Lower cholesterol, but coffee also raises cholesterol.
• Fish oil is good for prostate health, but fish oil is bad for prostate health.
• Tofu can increase estrogen and lower testosterone, but tofu can increase testosterone.
• “Low blood sugar can cause high blood sugar” (yes, that’s a real quote).
• ad infinitum.

At this point I trust an astrologer over a medical doctor.  Out of probability, my horoscope is at least right 1 out of 365 times a year. I have yet to hear a doctor say anything that matches that level of accuracy.

NOW to test this out, we took a 41 year old man that was living off of junk food and not exercising at all.  For a YEAR we put him on a strict diet of all the recommended cholesterol lowering and low carb blood sugar lowering foods AND put him on p90x (rigrous exercise 5 days a week) – FOR A YEAR.

Here were the results after A YEAR of living healthy and working out:

Total Cholesterol went down 225 to 199
Triglycerides went UP from 61 to 118
HDL went down from 57 to 37
LDL went down from 156 to 138
ratio went from 168 to 162

comp.metab. pan

Glucose 106 to 101
Sodium from 149 to 137
Chloride from 112 to 105

A1C went UP from 5.4 to 5.7
eAG went UP from 108 to 117

We asked Medical Doctors what could be going on here, and every one of them shrugged their shoulders and went “Uhhh, well?”

So we asked experts whose brains weren’t fried by years of medical school and pharmaceutical industry sponsored continuing education.

Here is what real experts had to say about what could be going on with these results!

Keith Ayoob, EdD,RDN,FADN & Associate Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics Albert Einstein College of Medicine Bronx, New York says: ” The diet included all great foods but it does leave out meat and fish. Fatty fish like salmon ,sardines, mackerel, and herring are a huge source of omega-3 fats that probably would have raised his HDL levels. Walnuts and peanuts have plant omega-3s but the body has to convert them to a form it can use and the conversion rate is dismally poor, only about 3-5%. ….. his total cholesterol dropped like a bomb. That’s huge and it’s importance shouldn’t be minimized. As for his A1c, triglycerides, sodium and chloride, those fall within normal limits so it’s a stretch to draw too many conclusions. Within normal limits is exactly that. As for the eAG, it’s still hard to pinpoint a reason for this without more info. Genetics and family history may be playing a role here as well. Diet and lifestyle are hugely important but not the only influence in every case. ”

Very smart answer, although he had to add “His diet and exercise regimen still sound much better than they were. ”  I’m not saying it is true, but is it Possible that diet and exercise might not be that impactful over the Dorito’s & Netflix lifestyle?  Are we quick to say “yes” out of convention?

 

Chris Niedzinski, D.C. from InnerLink Chiropractic actually has a positive view of the #s, “Those are great results!Totally what would be expected- simply from just stopping junk food. Triglycerides went up- but its still pretty low- should be less than 150. Triglycerides are released for energy in between meals- from what you said he was eating- it’s really not a lot, especially if he was doing a high intensity workout- the body needs some sort of energy. Blood sugar is where it should be. A1C went up- but still good levels- low Iron can contribute to elevation. All others are fantastic. If that’s all he ate- that’s not a lot of variety. For a year is a very long time. Possible he missed some key nutrients that would be necessary for metabolic pathways. ”

Personal trainer, coach, and powerlifter (18 time World Champion, 33 time National Champion, member of the AAU Strength Sports Hall of Fame), Robert S. Herbst says, ” I would like to point out that the diet and exercise are the opposite of what you would want to create the best hormonal profile. A 41 year old man wants to raise his testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH) levels which are declining at his age. Increases of those hormones will lower cholesterol and decrease body fat. The best way to raise the hormone levels naturally is to do heavy compound multijoint exercises such as squats, lunges, and deadlifts. The body produces more testosterone and HGH in response to those exercises. PX 90 does not cause the same hormonal response. Also, tofu contains plant sterols which have an estrogen mimicking effect, which counters the effects of the testosterone the person’s body was making. Instead, he should have eaten more red meat, which contains testosterone.”

SO HORMONES (and Red Meat?) – a variable most doctors don’t address.

So what did the ONE doctor that had an answer over above an “ummmm” have to say?

Dr. Barry Sears, acclaimed author of the Zone Diet book series, said “What probably happened was not having a cogent exercise and diet plan.  ”   Unfortunately, like a doctor, he actually ignored the details that these mysterious results are Inspite of a cogent exercise and diet plan – that’s the WHOLE POINT OF THE QUESTION! Hmmm, an astrologer would have known that.   But to Dr. Sears’ credit he did add some interesting info by following up with, “he fact that the TG increased and the HDL dropped was indicative of increased insulin resistance in the liver.  Likewise, the increase the in the blood glucose and HbA1c confirm a systematic increase in insulin resistance.  This is caused by to two factors:  increased inflammation and increased cortisol.  Both were likely to be increased by the intense exercise program without adequate rest between bouts of exercise.  Another cause of inflammation is likely to be caused by an imbalance in the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the diet that would also increase inflammation. First, do no more than three bouts of intense exercise never to exceed more than 20 minutes per week.  Second, increase the increase the intake of EPA and DHA (at least 2.5 grams per day) to reduce inflammation.  Third, achieve a better balance of protein to the glycemic load at each meal to prevent an increase of cortisol.  Following these simple steps, his blood chemistry should significantly change for the better within 30 days. “

WHAT DO YOU THINK??