QUESTION: I am beside myself. Four months ago, my cholesterol was 277. This month, my cholesterol is 257. I'm a 37-year-old, 150-pound white male. My triglyceride level is 71, HDL is 88, LDL is 125 and my fasting glucose is 99. I have no family history of heart disease. As an avid athlete, landscaper and runner who is sponsored by a shoe company, I run daily at a very intense level, eat a balanced diet and rarely eat meat and animal products.
I would like to know what you think is going on and your suggestions for lowering my numbers.
P.C.
ANSWER: You seem to have great habits and you eat well. I can't offer medical advice, but you can ask your doctor for a retest, as numbers can vary from test to test (and lab to lab). Your total cholesterol went down 20 points in four months. Is there anything to which you can attribute this?
There is a Web page at tinyurl.com/6cgm4o that discusses risks associated with the different blood values. This page also provides information about different ways of interpreting lab results, including a number of ratios that are used to provide a better picture of risk.
Your HDL is in great shape, so how does this mesh with a high total cholesterol? Look at the ratios. One method involves dividing the total cholesterol (TC) value by the HDL. For men, an acceptable ratio of TC to HDL is 5 or below, and for women it is 4.5 or below. The lower the better, and your ratio of 3.1 (277/88) indicates you are at low risk for heart disease. Your triglyceride number is also in the low-risk range.
There are some doctors, however, who care only about your LDL value. It's important to discuss this with your physician. Other tests, such as C-reactive protein (for heart-disease risk) and hemoglobin A-1C (for blood sugar) can provide more information.
Regarding your exercise habits: Doing the same “very intense” workout every day can overwork the body. You might consider alternating your workout by running every other day; doing a complementary exercise, such as stretching, yoga or tai chi; or a resistance workout on the alternate days.
The body becomes less forgiving as it transitions into mid-life. A person's life habits determine when midlife begins and how long it lasts. It is not always in our best interests to pursue “very intense” exercise on a daily basis.
Landscaping work demands that your joints remain in good shape. It is likely that you have already gotten subtle reminders that youthful flexibility doesn't last forever, even for one who maintains an active lifestyle. Those who stay active need to redefine “very intense” as the years go by. This is not a bad thing, and by doing so, you can remain injury-free and at the top of your game. Let me know how things turn out.
I buy pollock in the form of imitation crab meat. I don't buy it to pretend that it is crab. I buy it as the only way that I find pollock locally. Does the treatment of the pollock, the coloring and flavor infusion, change any of the omega-3 levels? The imitation crab is generally less than $4 per pound, which makes it a good buy.
M.E., Alamo, Calif.
Although it is a good source of protein, pollock is considered a moderate to low source of the omega-3 fats, comparable to crab. A 3-ounce serving of Dungeness crab contains 383 milligrams, while a similar serving of Alaskan pollock contains 418 milligrams. This is about one-fourth the level found in wild salmon.
The processing of pollock into an imitation shellfish reduces the omega-3 level even further. When fish such as pollock are processed to taste and appear like crab or lobster, they are typically deboned, rinsed and minced, then flavored, colored and reformed to resemble the muscle fiber and taste impression of the desired variety.
It is not a process that's kind to the omega-3 fats. A 3-ounce serving of (pollock) surimi contains only 26 milligrams of the omega-3 fatty acids.
