{"id":889,"date":"2017-08-31T11:51:58","date_gmt":"2017-08-31T18:51:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cholesterolcode.com\/?p=889"},"modified":"2018-07-05T11:35:06","modified_gmt":"2018-07-05T18:35:06","slug":"lab-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cholesterolcode.com\/lab-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"Lab Tests – Measuring your Metabolic Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n
\n
Note from Craig–<\/h5>\n

In addition to helping<\/a>\u00a0Dave wrangle data behind the scenes, I will occasionally be dropping in as a guest writer to contribute some additional content. This blog was an invaluable resource when I first found out I was a hyper-responder, and I’m looking forward to helping others understand their own cholesterol situations. Hope you enjoy!<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Background<\/h2>\n

I started on Keto five months ago as an experiment in endurance running. Tall and slim, I\u2019d get funny looks whenever someone heard I was on a diet. But, if they didn\u2019t have to eat it, nobody cared much about what was on my plate. \u00a0Then, the cholesterol bugaboo appeared.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Total Cholesterol<\/span><\/td>\n358<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Triglycerides<\/span><\/td>\n66<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
HDL-C<\/span><\/td>\n114<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LDL-C<\/span><\/td>\n231<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

(Frequent readers may find this pattern\u00a0familiar<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Suddenly, everyone was \u201cconcerned about my cholesterol\u201d – my doctor, my mom, distant relatives. I wasn\u2019t worried during the test, since I heard it was possible to manipulate<\/a>, but the seed of doubt had been planted. I now needed a lot more evidence to prove to myself, and others, that I wasn\u2019t doing myself harm with this experiment.<\/span><\/p>\n

I redoubled my efforts reading and watching everything I can find on the links between diet, health, disease. I was especially worried about heart disease (what they say might kill me), and metabolic syndrome (what I think is most likely to kill them). Fortunately, a certain N=1\u00a0pioneer<\/a> had already made a lot of progress on this path, and he was generous with his advice.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article is one software engineer\u2019s opinion on what blood tests are worth your while when you get your annual poke in the arm. These tests will provide the necessary feedback for those interested in \u201cdebugging\u201d and \u201coptimizing\u201d the complex system that is their body.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

– Peter Drucker.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Asking for Tests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ideally, you want your doctor to order the tests you\u2019re seeking so that your insurance pays for it. But different doctors can have different reactions to these requests. Some will happily rubber-stamp your request without question, others will ask why you are interested in these tests and how you found out about them in the first place. If you find your doctor won\u2019t order the tests you\u2019re asking for, you can usually order them privately through a service like <\/span>http:\/\/RequestATest.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

If find yourself needing to explain \u2018why\u2019, here are some arguments that your doctor might find persuasive.<\/span><\/p>\n

You will use this data to make informed decisions about your lifestyle. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI am actively tracking my food, sleep, stress, and exercise and I want to know how my body is doing. Even though I feel much better on my diet, I\u2019d consider changing if there was good evidence something was going wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

You want to establish a broad baseline of health and disease risk.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m concerned that conventional diets contribute to obesity and disease. I choose my diet to help with that, and I want to see if I’m making progress across the board. Then, I can tell if future changes help or hurt.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Your body uses a higher percentage of energy from fat compared to typical diets.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a good reason that my numbers might be unusual. I want to see if my body is working well, but differently, or if something is going wrong. I also want to be careful when considering treatments, since they are rarely tested on people with my diet.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Treating complications later is much more costly than testing now.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cA diabetes diagnosis more than doubles your average lifetime medical expenses, while a heart bypass surgery is over $100,000. I want to accurately assess my risk now, so I can take action to improve my chances of avoiding these outcomes.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\n\"\"The Tests<\/span><\/h2>\n

Every time:<\/strong><\/p>\n