Lab Results - my lab work results were profoundly disappointing. All of the key measures were much worse in comparison to where I started. Can someone help me understand?! I consumed very little dairy, virtually no deserts, I exercised 7 days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes - cardio and resisitance….What gives?

Results

Triglycerides 161mg/dl

Cholesterol (Total) = 178 mg/dl

HDL Cholesterol = 52 mg/dl

LDL Cholesterol = 94 mg/d

lInterpretation

1. Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a form of fat in the bloodstream. People with high triglycerides often have high total cholesterol, high LDL (bad) cholesterol and a low HDL (good) cholesterol level. Many people with heart disease also have high triglyceride levels. Several clinical studies have shown that people with above-normal triglyceride levels (greater than or equal to 200 mg/dL) have an increased risk of heart disease. People with diabetes or who are obese are also likely to have high triglycerides.

My Triglyceride level went from 160 to 178 mg/dl.

2. Cholesterol ratio: A total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio is a number that is helpful in predicting an individual’s risk of developing atherosclerosis. The number is obtained by dividing the total cholesterol value by the value of the HDL cholesterol. (High ratios indicate higher risks of heart attacks, low ratios indicate lower risk). High total cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol increases the ratio, and is undesirable. Conversely, high HDL cholesterol and low total cholesterol lowers the ratio, and is desirable.

In my case the ratio rose from 2.8 to 3.4 (178/52). It got worse!

An average ratio would be about 4.5. Ideally we want to be better than average if we can. Thus the best ratio would be 2 or 3, or less than 4.

3. HDL: With HDL (good) cholesterol, higher levels are better. In the average man, HDL cholesterol levels range from 40 to 50 mg/dL. In the average woman, they range from 50 to 60 mg/dL. An HDL cholesterol of 60 mg/dL or higher gives some protection against heart disease.

My HDL went down from 57 to 52 mg/dl!

4. LDL The lower your LDL cholesterol, the lower your risk of heart attack and stroke. In fact, it’s a better gauge of risk than total blood cholesterol. In general, LDL levels fall into these categories:

LDL Cholesterol Levels
Less than 100 mg/dL Optimal
100 to 129 mg/dL Near Optimal/ Above Optimal
130 to 159 mg/dL Borderline High
160 to 189 mg/dL High
190 mg/dL and above Very High

My LDL level went up from 86 to 94 mg/dl!

Overall my blood results are very discouraging, in every measure my risk factors actually increased! Thoughts?!

My grandmother told me many years ago that time goes faster the older you are – I suppose that’s a British housewife’s version of the theory of relativity. She is proving to be a sage as this month has passed in a blink.

Our School’s graduation pledge contains reference to a commitment to lifelong learning. And over the last 32 days learn I did. The question now is just what do I do with my newfound knowledge on the subject of vegetarianism, ecology, and social responsibility? Public health professionals recognize that knowledge alone does not necessarily translate into health behavior change.

For my part, I have elected to remain vegetarian, punctuated by intermittent consumption of fish protein. I think these people are called pescatarians. To take it a step further, I aim to consume only wild caught fish.

The Challenge has resulted in me gaining a closer relationship with the participants, particularly those who attended the support group. I also made new friends and have newfound appreciation for others, who I barely knew before. I learned that the challenge also led to entire families adopting a vegetarian lifestyle.

This month has reaffirmed to me that one sincere individual can indeed positively influence a small part of the world.

That’s food for thought.

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Visit the blog site in a week or so – I will be posting my post-challenge blood test profile.

Thanks to Hans Diehl for environmental and nutritional literature, Pat Johnston for the cartoons, Brian Weed for technical support, Bill Collwell for securing University support for the blog (the 1st of its kind at LLU), and everyone who took time to submit an entry. Dr. Sabate, Dr.Snyder (SAHP) and Dr. Ask were instrumental in making the support group successful. I hope to see you at the Vegetarian Congress March 4-6, 2008 here at LLU.

Those who know me recognize that at my professional core I am an industrial hygienist not a philosopher. Nonetheless this last month has gently nudged to me to the inevitable. What does all this mean? If Jesus were alive today would he practice vegetarianism?

While I could easily spend my time this evening discussing cruelty to animals, rehashing the deaths suffered each year by the 9 billion farm animals and 15 billion aquatic creatures to accommodate me and my fellow countrymen’s carnivorous habits, I prefer not to take that road. But does the Bible provide us any hints as to how we should live our lives?

In the first chapter of Genesis (1:29): “God said ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.” Is this an incomplete thought or a lifestyle directive? I honestly don’t know, but I am struggling with what to do with Luke 12:6. “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?” Jesus later asks. “And yet not one of them is forgotten by God.”

I am at once disturbed and simultaneously reassured by the notion that God has his finger on the pulse of every living creature. If I really need to consume what was once a blinking, breathing animal to maintain my life, I think I could stand at Saint Peter’s Gate and make a case as to the necessity of meat eating. But for me, and many people in this country, it is a choice, not a necessity. The theologian Clement of Alexandria urged Christians to become vegetarians, saying, “It is far better to be happy than to have your bodies act as graveyards for animals.”

Happiness it is.

Tomorrow: The last day of the challenge.