Low Cholesterol High Triglycerides have CFRD

[SchonLift]

I posted this in nutrition also, wasn't sure which thread was better for help and advice.
I've got to be honest, i'm afarid to eat. haha

I am a clean eater, The last time I had any simple carbohydrates I cannot remember. (Simple= pop, candy, etc) I also am considered having CFRD but I don't use Insulin because I eat healthy and workout daily, and have been able to manage that with diet and exercise for the past year or so. I used to be a competitive lifter, as well did fitness competitions, so I would consider myself very active and mindful of my health.

I track my Macronutrients everyday (protein/carbs/fat). I prefer Protein and Carbs over Fats, I guess I would say I consume 200g of carbs+ a day, and fats 20g or less and protein around 110g a day.. I inserted an attachment of my recent Lipids blood work. It's small, and you may have to zoom in. My Cholesterol, which i'm not as concerned about was very low 120's (normal 150-200) and my Triglyc. were elevated in the 160s+ range. Normal (less than 150) which I was concerned about. My last test it was in the 80's so it has more than doubled.

Is it because I am consuming more carbs, and not burning them off (converting them into energy) they are turning into fat?.
To me it seems that if a normal person were to eat 200g of carbs a day, which really isn't THAT much, they wouldn't have this issue. So is this a CF thing?

I just started supplementing with Fish/Krill oil. I am just so upset and frusterated that I work my butt off at the gym everyday (a.m only) and eat so well that this would happen? It's one thing after another.
( Not to mention my vitamen levels are always alittle low, and my ALT is alittle elevated. But that's a different story and has been an issue for years.)

Cant a cyster catch a break??

I am 105lbs, 5"0.

My Main Question: Anybody have these issues?? What causes this if it is a CF issue?

My other question which doesn't have to be answered if nobody knows:
What would be the reccomened consumption in g a day of carbohydrate consumption?
Anyone know what a reccomemned Macro diet would consist of?

 

[Printer]

Those of us with CF have difficulty digesting fats. Most of us require Multivitamin Supplements for the fat soluble vitamins A, B, D, E and K. I go out of my way to put fats into my diet. You need to discuss this issue with your CF Specialist.

Bill

 

[LittleLab4CF]

In my "cholesterol" days starting of course when the first statin drugs came available, my numbers were high and my triglycerides were off the charts. I was over 300 and spot checks approached 600. On Lipitor, the numbers improved and excepting triglycerides, LDL/HDL were way down. My doctor had "prescribed" large doses of niacin, something that you might want to consider for triglycerides.

When CFer's get into trouble with failure to thrive, low BMI and just underweight, the fast track to weight gain includes 100 grams of fat daily. The adult diet for a CFer is pretty close to the 100 grams of fat from short chain triglycerides to lard. Even tests like fecal elastase are based on your consuming a quarter pounder of blubber daily. Actually blubber might not be the best choice but our enzyme supplements are geared towards a certain ratio of Fat (lipids) Protein and Carbs. Nutritional balance is the best goal. Vegan's require chick peas because they were the only complete source of protein. We have to have meat or this rather dry legume or some combination of exotic vegetables to get what is in most meat. Diet and lifestyle changes by several friends who were diabetic and one developing schizophrenia have had amazing results.

I know or at least knew Printer's pancreatologist, a rare and talented doctor. I know that his diet is not what he was passing around fifteen years ago. Dr. Freedman was just starting his laboratory studies of the pancreas with respect to treating CF patients. He was still using the CFF's recommendation. He has developed a different approach to the CF diet as reflected in Printer's post.

The CF diet seems to have decidedly different formulas depending on who you talk to. The problem of fat portions can be one of tolerance. I can consume protein in large quantities almost anytime but fats can make me nauseous or more nauseous, depending on how my gut is doing. Generally speaking, my clinic suggests that I adhere to a low FODMAP diet and follow the portions of food types based upon how Creon is formulated. It will take a little work but Creon does spell it out. I take Creon 36. One pill has 36,000 IU of Lipase, 114,000 IU of Protease and 180,000 IU of amylase. The portions of each enzyme reflect the ideal combinations of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. They probably don't work equally so refer to your enzyme literature. If all things were equal, the ratio is about 1:3:5, a good plan for an "I have diabetes and eat in a way that I won't need insulin" diet.

I am not yet diabetic but just entered the pre-diabetic range. Your being categorized as having CFRD, it always piques my interest. Are you diabetic based on A1c and such tests? It isn't impossible, but it takes uncommon dedication, a total lifestyle transformation. My pancreas is toast, actually turned into fat. The primary reason why we become diabetic is death of the pancreas. Islet cells are throughout the pancreas and generally speaking with the death of pancreas you become diabetic.

An option that is a lot more invasive than the perfect diet is a pancreatectomy with the harvesting and transplantation of your remaining islet cells. If the islet cell count is low, they are cultured to a suitable volume and implanted into the liver via injection into the portal vein, a big vein that circulates blood throughout the liver. The Cleveland Clinic is a pioneer in the procedure. Several major medical centers are now performing the procedure. This may be the best chance to avoid becoming diabetic. I've been down the perfect diet/lifestyle path and it is not for everyone, even if the result is staving off diabetes.

As a teen, my best friend's father was a brittle diabetic. Insulin was available but a glucose level test was performed in the hospital laboratory. Not exactly timely management. The result was the most regimented life I have been witness to. Raw veggies were trimmed and weighed before cooking, all food was fresh and the rare occasion I was invited for dinner, the delicious food was portioned away from the table, because his food was being weighed again. After a timed after dinner visit he went to bed. His energy was spent and dinner kept him stable with a shot of insulin until his alarm went off. Day in and day out, his life was the same for years.

His son, Joe, was not going to be a diabetic. Along with his father, his mother's family had some type 1 diabetes. Joe married a woman whose parents were both type 1 and then they had a son. They took Timothy Leary at his word and tuned in, turned on and dropped out. They moved to the Bitterroot valley, I followed along and helped make a personal Utopia. Joe bought land adjacent to National Forest, built a portable saw mill from a VW engine, a used 36" saw blade and a section of a fallen radio tower. Mules drug the mill to the trees marked for felling and we milled our lumber in the woods. We even composted the scrap and scattered it in the forest. The first house design was unstable and we pulled it down and did it again. While living in a teepee in nice weather to a burried school bus while working on the house, we made a practical version of The Swiss Family Robinson's house, not in the trees that included special features like a sweat room and sauna set up for cleaning, like a shower, but better.

They raised goats for the milk and planted more than enough vegetables for the year. I had wheat grass smoothies, some of the strangest fermented foods loaded with probiotics before any manufacturer ever made them. They read books, learned from fellow members of the community and consulted with experts that had re-invented natural and organic living.

For many years, life was wonderful. I didn't live there full time and I had measurable improvement in my overall health. Joe had been refused by the draft on grounds that his acne was so bad he could never carry a back pack. It was. Joe's new lifestyle agreed with him, his acne and the scars evaporated.

Joe and Ian, their son never developed diabetes and Mary probably wouldn't have developed it. An affair with a teacher of faith healing caused her a lot of emotional distress and the day the divorce was final, she was diagnosed with diabetes. Under normal circumstances she would have been diabetic at puberty or during pregnancy and after childbirth it would have been permanent. Maybe she was just lucky.

My college roommate became a high functioning schizophrenic and HIS "terminal acne" was also permanently cured. Diet and lifestyle are not a joke. The problem is that we could live a lifestyle that is medicine free but it means returning to a rural subsistence lifestyle.

You may be trying hold back an immovable force, or at least one you have to become servant to in order to remain diabetes free.

Good luck,

LL

 

[Printer]

LL

I no longer suffer from pancreatites therefore my fat intake is now based upon a need to increase weight. My point was simply that we all need fats in our diet. As you know and as I stated, fat digestion with CF patients is at best difficult.

 

[Melissa75]

SchonLift,

I'm guessing you don't drink alcohol as that would mess up your blood sugars, too, but I figured I mention just in case -- even small amounts of alcohol can raise triglycerides. I have bronchiectasis w/o CF, so my experience is relatively useless to you but I do work to keep my weight up.

I eat a lot of fat (dairy, olive oil, fish, tons of nuts) and my triglyceride level is quite low. I do bake and eat bread and desserts here and there, but mostly it's fat, protein and vegetables. Lots of veggies. I also don't drink alcohol. On the flip side, my good and bad cholesterol numbers are both high, totaling 240 if I recall.

My mom was put on Fenofibrate when her triglycerides went over 500. She was eating a lot of sugary foods and washing them down with Italian liquor -- an octogenarian should do what makes her happy, right? You have to look at liver numbers periodically when you're on that med, and I think your numbers are way to low to warrant it.

Good luck getting to the bottom of this.

 

[DianeWagner]

My uncle has this issue once, he was a patient of high cholesterol and has suffered a lot due to this problem. During his treatment he was told to have the micro diet intake which helps in maintaining the cholesterol level in the body. He started taking the Candle nut supplement on his doctor's suggestion, which has helped him a lot in his recovery. These details have helped him in ordering the nut form the online store. Candle nut is the natural supplement that helps in curing the cholesterol problem and also helps in curing the other stomach disorder. He is doing great now and whenever he sees himself in the same situation he takes the dose of the nut.