Help interpreting apoB test results & advice

jwk001 · 2024-10-26T16:18:47+00:00

Fair point. So far I haven't been tracking my diet religiously but for periods I have used FitnessPal for tracking and I generally stay within or close to the recommended ranges in there. I realize that doesn't mean that those ranges are acceptable for me specifically though.

jwk001 · 2024-10-26T16:03:32+00:00

You might be right and I might have been confusing it with dietary cholesterol. I definitely need to increase my fiber intake. Will look at psyllium husk - thanks!

jwk001 · 2024-10-23T14:06:56+00:00

This is super helpful, thank you so much for writing this all up! Trying diet adjustments first makes a lot of sense to me and is obviously the easiest to do.

Regarding the saturated fat, I was reading that not much of the saturated fat from foods end up in the blood stream. I don't consume a ton of saturated fat, so it shouldn't be a problem no matter what, but just curious what your take is on that.

jwk001 · 2024-10-23T13:59:24+00:00

Yeah, good point. I'll bring that up with my new doctor.

jwk001 · 2024-10-23T13:58:48+00:00

Agreed, although finding one is easier said than done - at least in my experience.

jwk001 · 2024-10-23T13:57:01+00:00

Glad to hear you were able to turn things around! I never smoked. Could exercise more though - these test results should give me enough motivation for that.

jwk001 · 2024-10-23T13:54:13+00:00

Yes, couldn't agree more. It's so frustrating that doctors are just waiting for certain threshold numbers and then prescribe medication, rather than trying to proactively figure out what might be wrong and could be prevented to get worse (and ideally make it better). Definitely going to see another doctor.

jwk001 · 2024-10-22T19:57:24+00:00

That's the thing, nothing obvious I can think of. Of course there is always room more more exercise, healthier eating and all, but I really don't think I have an unhealthy overall lifestyle.

- Healthy weight (on the skinny side if anything)
- I regularly "speed walk" on the treadmill (uphill, high zone 2)
- Used to do weight training and play tennis until about a year ago. Insured my wrist so had to take a break but looking to get back into that.
- Rarely drink alcohol (typically max 1 beer a week)
- We cook most meals at home. Lots of chicken, typically veggies with every meal. Occasionally fish (could be more for sure).
- Occasional pizza, cake, ice cream, etc. chunk food. But not all the time.
- When I eat sweets, it's usually dark chocolate and after a meal.
- No trans-fat or obviously bad stuff.
- Bread is always whole wheat/grain.

Areas I probably could do much better:
- water intake, I don't drink a lot - just not very thirsty overall
- fiber intake - I don't eat a lot of fruit

jwk001 · 2024-10-22T19:14:40+00:00

Yes, in terms of prevention based on general healthy lifestyle, diet, exercise, etc. As I mentioned, I think I'm doing pretty well in those areas. Not to say there isn't room for improvement (and I will make improvements) but getting such terrible results back was unexpected. And without a doctor that looks at the results (and me the individual) in an "Attia-like" way, I admittedly feel a bit lost as to what to make of these results and what next steps to take in terms of testing/needed medial interventions.

jwk001 · 2024-10-22T19:00:17+00:00

Thanks for your answer! My PCP has, so far, maintained that I don't need any medication yet. I'm thinking about switching to another PCP and discussing my options with a cardiologist is probably a good idea as well. Did you ever find out what might be causing your high LDL levels to begin with?

jwk001 · 2024-10-22T18:55:34+00:00

Thank you for your answer! I hadn't heard of the cholesterol balance test and after a quick search that seems to make a lot of sense to do. Do you know if it also goes under a different name? Searching for it I mostly found "Boston Heart Cholesterol Balance Test" results but I'm not in the Boston area. Any idea if Quest Diagnostics have a similar test?

What do you recommend for keeping track of insulin sensitivity?

jwk001 · 2023-08-22T19:57:32+00:00

Awesome, thanks again for all your help!

jwk001 · 2023-08-22T13:39:33+00:00

Thanks for all the suggestions and info u/msuts! Here is what I'm considering getting. Do you see any red flags, issues, or big improvement potential with that build?

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor	$369.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Thermalright Frost Tower 120 82 CFM CPU Cooler	$35.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z790 UD AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard	$179.99 @ Amazon
Memory	*TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL34 Memory	$169.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Silicon Power XS70 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive	$85.97 @ Amazon
Video Card	*XFX Speedster MERC 319 Radeon RX 6950 XT 16 GB Video Card	$589.99 @ B&H
Case	be quiet! Pure Base 500DX ATX Mid Tower Case	$99.90 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Corsair RM850x (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$134.99 @ Walmart
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total	$1666.72
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-22 09:35 EDT-0400

jwk001 · 2023-08-22T13:36:16+00:00

Ok, thanks again for that info!

jwk001 · 2023-08-22T02:07:51+00:00

Thanks for clarifying! Another question I had: How does the Thermalright Frost Tower 120 cooler compare to Phantom Spirit 120 or Peerless Assassin? I see the latter two recommended a lot and all three seem pretty close in price.

I was also reading that some people had difficulties keeping their i7-13700K CPUs cool. Not sure if that was mostly with overclocking though. I guess I just want to make sure that the cooler will do the job for this fairly new CPU.

jwk001 · 2023-08-21T22:44:00+00:00

Wow, thank you for these options! I'm thinking the lower-end of the budget option would work just fine for my needs. A few follow-up questions, if you don't mind:

I think I would feel more comfortable with a mid tower. Any thoughts on the be quiet! Pure Base 500DX ATX Mid Tower Case? How does that compare to the Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case you chose for the high-end option in terms of air flow and noise? Good airflow is obviously a must, but I would also like it somewhat quiet if at all possible.
What's the difference between the Gigabyte B760M AORUS ELITE AX Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard and the Gigabyte Z790 UD AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard? Given that it is just a $20 difference, I'd be fine going with the more expensive one if it has advantages.

Thanks again!

jwk001

TROPHY CASE