Need help in interpreting chloestrol page

[deep-1]

I've been trying to eat primal for the last month, lost approx. 15 lbs and just had blood work done. My total cholestrol is 291, HDL 37, LDL 229, Trig 229. I tried reading griff's outline, but still confused. My doctor is concerned. What's my next step?

[deep-1]

Continued from thread above: my doctor emailed this to me:

I got your lab results back. Your sugar and kidney function are normal.

Your cholesterol is worse. Your total cholesterol is 291 (last year 288),
your HDL cholesterol is 37 (last year 35), your LDL cholesterol is 229
(last year 211), your triglycerides are 125 (last year 209).

The increase in your LDL is likely because of your diet.

With your numbers from today you have a 3% chance of having a heart attack
within the next 3 years. Your risk last year was 2%. Things are worse.

I recommend either 1) Vegetarian diet, 2) Cholesterol medication.
Your goal LDL is below 160 and ideal is below 130. You are very far from
these levels.

[emmie]

You don't mention your age.

I'm surprised that your doctor mentions the LDL, while your low HDL seems to be more of a concern. (I'm not a physician, but my cardiologist is always concerned with any HDL lower than 40. He regards that as a 'critical issue,' but your doctor doesn't seemed concerned about this.) And the LDL he recommends is far lower than any recommendation I've ever seen.

He also claims that your numbers are 'worse,' but the differences are so minor that your cholesterol numbers are virtually the same as last year.

Is your doctor a vegetarian? I ask because I've never seen any evidence that a vegetarian diet improves cholesterol.

I ask all this as a preface to suggesting you might look for another doctor.

Finally, just eating Primal for a month isn't enough time to affect your lipid values. It usually takes about 6 months to see a significant improvement in lab results. There's nothing critical in your labs that would suggest making any change until you give Primal eating a chance.

If you don't eat a lot of fish, I'd recommend supplementing with fish oil to up your omega 3s and try to improve that HDL.

[blissfull]

I am not the expert on this however I also just got back my blood work results so I have been reading everything and every post about it.
What stands out to me is that you have cut your triglycerides by 80 points! That is a significant improvement and your doctor should be happy with that change. Your HDL "good" cholesterol would be something that I would want to see improve if your numbers were my numbers. The following link is the most plain english one I have found explaining the numbers.

Why Did My Cholesterol Go Up After Going Primal? | Mark's Daily Apple

[peril]

Your result is of concern. High trigs and low HDL means you likely have a high LDL particle count which is a risk for CVD. You need to stop being half hearted and go full primal

[blissfull]

Here is another good one to read:
How to Read a Cholesterol Test | Mark's Daily Apple