jld wrote:I thought I had read somewhere that triglycerides should be under 70, but I may be confusing that with ideal LDL levels. Does anyone have a reference on this?
From
https://www.healthline.com/health/trigl ... el#results :
What do the results mean?
The following are the basic categories of results for triglyceride levels:
A normal fasting level is 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
A borderline high level is 150 to 199 mg/dL.
A high level is 200 to 499 mg/dL.
A very high level is more than 500 mg/dL.
The section on triglycerides from
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2017nl ... blocks.htm :
Q: My triglycerides went up even though I am getting other great results from the McDougall Diet. What am I doing wrong?
A: Triglycerides are fats in the blood, and these numbers can vary by 100 points in an hour (such as after eating). (To mentally picture triglycerides, think of the layer of fat (triglycerides) that collects at the top of refrigerated chicken soup. The same top layer formation occurs inside a glass tube of your blood). This biomarker is of low predictive value for poor health outcomes, and when treated with medications, the harms (more death and disease) far outweigh the benefits (lower numbers). For my patients, I stop medications (fibrates) that are commonly prescribed and specifically intended to lower triglycerides because they have serious side effects and have no benefit in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Our results published on 1,615 people show an overall average rise of 2 mg/dL of blood triglycerides in seven days of unrestricted eating of McDougall foods. Those with low triglycerides (<150 mg/dL) in the beginning show an 8 mg/dL rise. However, people starting with high normal triglycerides (150 to 199 mg/dL) show an 11.5 mg/dL reduction. With high triglycerides at the beginning (200 to 499 mg/dL) the reduction is on average 46 mg/dL, and with very high triglycerides (>500 mg/dL) the reduction is 294 mg/dL in seven days.
Because the McDougall Diet allows an unrestricted amount of the right foods (no portion control), participants eat a lot, sometimes much more than ever before. Eating more calories, especially those from carbohydrates, causes a temporary rise in triglycerides in some people with normal values at the beginning; that is expected and of no negative health consequence. As the appetite becomes satisfied, people naturally eat less volume and the triglycerides naturally normalize. In time, along with the associated weight loss, those who are adherent to the Program will see their triglycerides at normal (<200 mg/dL) values (fasting).
Reduction of diabetic medications can result in a temporary rise in triglycerides. With time this also corrects.
by jld » Sun Apr 22, 2018 6:43 am 
