Blood Results!
I thought this would be a good place to post results of blood work. It can be such a scary thing....I am always worried they will find something wrong and try to convince me to eat meat, but I have been very fortunate that my blood work has always come back great! It has actually gotten better over the last few years after going vegan from vegetarian and hitting 40!!!!
I am super excited about my B12. I got it tested about 6-7 years ago and it was at 309 (the range being180-914). I recently had it done again to see if I was depleting my level and it came back at 351!! I do not take a b supplement so I guess it is from my Nooch and fortified foods (and raw blue-green algae).
Here are some other results:
~2004 Vegetarian diet
cholesterol: 142
37 Good HDL (range 40-59)
83 Bad LDL (range 65-130)
Trigylcerides 109
So not so great....my total is OK but the ratios are out of whack.
2010: Vegan diet for at least 5 years
Cholesterol 120
Good HDL 59 (range 40-59)
Bad LDL 56 (range 65-130) is it bad that I am below range in the LDL?
2011
Vitamin D= 40 (I cannot seem to find what the norm range is...it is different everywhere I look but My doc was not concerned)
B12 351
Iron 12.8
I did not get my cholesterol checked.
Anyway, if you get any blood tests done, post them here. Great blood work is an awesome advertisement for veganism!
i don't think low LDL is a bad thing at all. If you're going to have total cholesterol much lower than the people they used to calculate the ranges (...nonvegans), you're bound to have low LDL and even low HDL.
I had low both (though women have a higher ref range than men for HDL, so i wouldn't have been low using the range you posted; it was 45), but the ratio was great (which apparent matters more than the discrete amounts).
I had my cholesterol checked twice in 09 (second time was a free thing, i figured what the hell). it was 145 and then 140 for total. the triglycerides were 63 (less than 150 is good).
my doctor was surprised by how low my cholesterol was; she said she's never seen it that low, and asked what exactly I did 8) .
I figure it'd good to check now and then, even if I'm not heart disease age. I'd rather see it happen then wait and have chest pain later, right? But hopefully limiting my brownie intake will prevent all that...
Now I want brownies
I have it by year in case it inspires another meat eater with high cholesterol.
Threshold Guidelines
Total Cholesterol: <200 mg/dL
Triglyceride: <150 mg/dL
HDL: >/= 40 mg/dL
LDL: < 130 mg/dL (100 mg/dL for diabetics)
I became vegan because of high cholesterol.
1/6/2006 (ate meat)
Total Cholesterol: 284
Triglycerides: ?
HDL: 47
LDL: 219
3/4/2007 (ate vegan processed & junk foods)
Total Cholesterol: 211
Triglyceride: 117
HDL: 43
LDL: 145
10/11/2008 (transitioned to a more whole foods diet)
Total Cholesterol: 187
Triglyceride: 111
HDL: 40
LDL: 125
7/1/2009 (mostly whole foods diet)
Total Cholesterol: 181
Triglyceride: 72
HDL: 49
LDL: 118
11/15/2010 (mostly whole foods diet)
Total Cholesterol: 162
Triglyceride: 69
HDL: 43
LDL: 105
those are amazing HH! I bet your exercising has a lot to do with it too.
Yeah, especially the last year. In comparison to my major fit friends, I do very little exercising (5 hours/week compared to their 20). Eat mostly whole foods, do a little bit of exercise, and drop cholesterol by 100. It beats pills, heart disease, surgery, being part invalid, or early painful death.
I had a doctor's appointment today and got my meat eater cholesterol numbers from my doctor. My LDL dropped nearly as much as my total cholesterol (which she says they don't look at anymore). I updated my list accordingly.
I also learned that LDL should be below 130 mg/dL for non-diabetics (I thought it was 100), so my LDL has been good for three years when I thought it was still high.
That's great!! I work in a health clinic and the normal range for Vitamin D that we use is 30-150.
I just wanted to share that I received the results of my vitamin D blood levels in the mail today. I had it tested last week at my doctors office due to concerns about whether D2 (ergocalciferol and plant based) supplementation is as effective as D3 (cholecalciferol and animal based) supplementation. Seven months ago I went vegan and switched from D3 to D2. I was taking 800 IU of D3 per day as an omnivore for years (I have osteoporosis I acquired in my omnivore days due to loss of ovaries, being underweight for years, and other risk factors so supplementing with calcium and D is a must for me regardless of whether I am vegan or omnivore) and when I went vegan and switched to D2 I supplemented with 1200 IU per day ergocalciferol. I have 2400 IU tablets but split them in half and take half that amount per day due to headaches at the higher amount.
Two years ago, as an omnivore consuming eggs, fish oil and supplementing with D3 at 800 IU, my levels were at 40 (normal range 30-100). This was around September.
Last week my levels tested at 70 (normal range 30-100)! No eggs, no fish oil or D3 or animals of any kind. Just plenty of sunshine from riding my bike all over (which I increased doing since becoming vegan but did ride as an omnivore also) and supplementing with ergocalciferol. So my levels have almost doubled and are much healthier. I know now that ergocalciferol is as effective as cholecalfiferol for me and I am not as worried.
One other curious thing. I used to sunburn very easily. I am very fair skinned. I would almost never tan. In February of this year I became vegan. I refused to use regular sunblock loaded with animal byproducts and although I did find plant based ones they were expensive so I rarely wore any. I have ridden my bike all over outside, canoed on open water several times for twelve miles at a time, have done several long distance hikes, and I have not burned a single time this year. Not once. I have tanned nicely as well. This is the first time ever this has happened. A miracle of sorts. I used to burn terribly. My family and friends could testify. I am telling you I am extremely fair skinned. I have no idea why the change. But I am loving it.
Naturebound, that is such a good testimony to sunshine and D2!!!! w00t! Kudos on those labs.
I haven't had labs since going exclusively vegan. But when I was nearly vegan my cholesterol was 130, so I suspect it's a bit lower now as is seen by the other posters above (YAY!). Not worried a bit about any lab results to validate my healthy lifestyle. I can feel it and have been validated before. I should be getting some labs though within the next six months and will surely post them.
130! You must have great LDL numbers. I'm envious. I'm scheduled for another cholesterol test in November. I asked for one just to see if I've finally gotten below LDL's ellusive 100 mg/dL benchmark. My HDL isn't that great, either, but one thing at a time.
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At least my triglycerides are okay, but that just shows I eat okay... I think.
I finally found a good explanation of triglycerides thank you, Mayo Clinic!). I wonder if my triglycerides are lower because I'm hypothyroid, so they're stored but not released? I hope not and I legitimately got at least one level right.
Triglycerides and cholesterol are separate types of lipids that circulate in your blood. Triglycerides store unused calories and provide your body with energy, and cholesterol is used to build cells and certain hormones.
Triglycerides are a type of lipid found in your blood. When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn't need to use right away into triglycerides. The triglycerides are stored in your fat cells. Later, hormones release triglycerides for energy between meals. If you regularly eat more calories than you burn, particularly "easy" calories like carbohydrates and fats, you may have high triglycerides (hypertriglyceridemia).
awesome! ;)b
I got mine done a couple weeks ago and my b12 was 605! whoaaaa haha.
130! You must have great LDL numbers. I'm envious.
My lowest was a long time ago, but something like 117. The lady was stunned as she said she never saw one that low. It was one of those instant reading done at a workshop put on by our insurance company at work. She took it again to double check and it was the same. I was eating a very healthy, nearly vegan diet at the time as well. All my numbers are low total, LDL and HDL, which is very strange (and actually makes for a not so good ratio, but I had a vegan RD tell me that if they are all like that there is no cardiac risk despite the ratio, as long as they all were low.) Since my diet has only improved over the years, I just assume my levels are o.k. I would be curious as to my Vit D and B12 levels, and might ask my NP to order those when I see him next time.
awesome! ;)b
I got mine done a couple weeks ago and my b12 was 605! whoaaaa haha.
wow! that is amazing! do you supplement at all?
hi, yep i take b12 weekly and i use nutritional yeast :) I was really surprised, i thought i was deficient! lol
I would recommend that you take oils out of your diets. It will do wonders to the numbers.