The doctor just took a look at my nasty blood, and everything was fine except I have really low HDL cholesterol. He said I should do more aerobic exercise to bring it back up. I guess I gotta start working on the *double *ironman distance in that case.
But then the internets told me that low HDL can be caused by a high carbohydrate diet (at least 60% of calories). So if that’s the case, is it common for endurance athletes to have low HDL? And should they be concerned about this? Is everyone on slowtwitch doomed?
Mine has always been low, even before triathlons (HDL 33 earlier this month). I was told to eat more of the good fats (olive oil, peanuts, avocado); but that hasn’t made much difference. Doctors don’t seem overly concerned since the overall level is low and ratio is good; and I’m not sure what else I can do about it.
According to my GP and sport’s doc, HDL can only partially be altered by diet and exercise. Both say by a couple points at most. The vast majority is genetic. As long as your ratios are okay and your bad stuff is low, don’t sweat it.
I am a low HDL guy as well, my cardio didn’t get too bent since I am an endurance athlete…said to drink wine or a couple beers a night. I think he is a god.
I was in the same situation; doctor recommended taking Niacin. My understanding is that the “sustained release” Niacin can mess up your liver, so I use the regular old Niacin, which leaves you all red and itchy for about 30 minutes after you take it. But it really boosted my HDL’s.
With my total cholesterol being under 100 my doc determined that I have a genetically low cholesterol problem. He told me that at some point low cholesterol becomes a problem and they adjust it with drugs like Niacin, but that this regime is tough to toleate. For now I was told to increase my exercise (What?!?!?), add fiber to my diet, and avoid transfats.
Mine was low also but came up when I started my Ironman training. I had a blood test done about 4 weeks ago and my doctor said everything was excellent, first time that she has ever said that.
As far as triathlons go, I’ve really only done short-course races. But my HDL showed up as 77 on Monday (up from 61 in 2007, 49 in '06, and 39 in '05).
I take a daily omega-3 supplement, I eat fish a lot, munch as much fruit as I can fit in my diet, and I try to ride the bike whenever possible.
I really only do the occasional sprint triathlon, the local time trial series, the occasional mountain bike race, 5k running race, etc. I just don’t have the time to dedicate to long-course racing in any discipline.
same here, LDL’s were great, HDL’s low. he said exercise and red wine. went back 6 mos later and HDL’s had come up a little. i didn’t change my exercise any but did start drinking wine. i don’t drink much at all, never drink beer, but try to have a glass 1-2 glasses 3-5 times a week with dinner. i’ve come to enjoy trying different wines though.