Health Issues Low HDL,High Triglycerides & Liver enzymes

[Rogez]

Hello,

I have been vegan for just over 3 years, at first it was going great as I was maintaining my strength in the gym whilst losing fat. However more recently I haven't been doing too well, throughout lockdown I didn't take care of my diet and ate not so good. Earlier this year I started to eat well again by having mainly whole plant foods and the occasional processed form on weekends. Initially my concern was raised when I decided to go back to the gym and start resistant training again, during most sessions I feel weak and I haven't progressed at all since starting again. I'm eating an adequate amount of calories somewhere between 2000 and 2500 whilst macros being mostly good, trying to optimize more. This was when I decided to get a blood test a few months ago, showing I had a HDL of 0.82 nmol/L and Triglycerides of 2.39 mmol/L and ALP of 143 IU/L. My B12 being fine and vitamin D being low however this has been corrected as of now with a supplement. When I have previously entered into a calorie deficit I have found it extremely hard to lose weight. I'm wondering if this would make me insulin resistant as my Thyroid hormones are normal. I don't smoke and do not drink, I have a smoothie every morning with berries and a banana however I doubt this would be the reason? I'm not excessive on fruit probably would have a apple and orange throughout the day too. Recently cut out bread although when I did have it, it was wholegrain. I eat mostly brown rice, brown pasta, lentils, quinoa, oats, chickpeas and various other beans for my protein sources. I had recently also consumed fish as I thought it may have made a difference however it hasn't done much at all and don't want to continue doing so as I believe in veganism. I'm going to get my blood work tested again tomorrow to see if anything has changed but if so I don't feel much better. My sex drive is also up sometimes but sometimes down for a while, my testosterone was measured normal at 15 nmol/L.

Has anyone experienced anything similar and can any advice be offered?

 

[VeganRachel]

Hey. I am not a nutritionist but am vegan and spiritual. The psychic i listen to stated that she and many others she talks
with have gained weight in the past year. It has to do with earth changes and similar issues. For liver issues, eat
tumeric and eat bitter greens like arugula, kale, and dandelion. The liver in chinese medicine has to do with ANGER issues
and we all have them!. Depression is anger turned inwards. Also, try to process your anger in a healthy way and forgive yourself and others.
I put arugula and dandelion in my smoothies most days. ADD a big salad or two to your daily meals, you need the greens,
enzymes, and minerals. Take an iodine supplement, i like supplements from globalhealingcenter.com which is vegan.
Eating 50% of your foods raw results in losing weight, and not eating late at night helps a great deal. Peace.

 

[bEt]

Do you use a vegan dha supplement? That may help some with triglycerides higher than you want. For liver health a go-to is plants in the lettuce family, including dandelion and thistle. You can buy supplements for liver support and most of them have some milk thistle extract (silybin) in them.

 

[bEt]

Hey. I am not a nutritionist but am vegan and spiritual. The psychic i listen to stated that she and many others she talks
with have gained weight in the past year. It has to do with earth changes and similar issues. For liver issues, eat
tumeric and eat bitter greens like arugula, kale, and dandelion. The liver in chinese medicine has to do with ANGER issues
and we all have them!. Depression is anger turned inwards. Also, try to process your anger in a healthy way and forgive yourself and others.
I put arugula and dandelion in my smoothies most days. ADD a big salad or two to your daily meals, you need the greens,
enzymes, and minerals. Take an iodine supplement, i like supplements from globalhealingcenter.com which is vegan.
Eating 50% of your foods raw results in losing weight, and not eating late at night helps a great deal. Peace.

I definitely second that suggestion for adding vegetables to your smoothies, if you don't already. If your blender can handle it, you can even add raw beet root. To make it easier to add the veggies in the morning, you can rinse and chop them the night before.
Salads are also helpful. All vegetables are full of magic goodies to strengthen your body. I try to make a rule for myself to try to have a vegetable with every snack and meal. If I want fruit, also include a vegetable. Ditto for bread ... etc.

 

[Susan W]

Thank you so much for sharing these experiences with us.
I have been having exactly the same problem.
A 73 year old, I became vegan via vegetarian about three years ago. For the first two years it was fine. I lost quite a lore of weight and most of my blood work returned to normal levels. I had been having extremely high triglyceride levels and high “bad”cholesterol and very low “good” cholesterol for many years.
Then in the last six months or so everything has been getting bad again and I am back to where I was before and my very vegan-supportive doctor is beginning to get worried again. Unfortunately he doesn’t know a lot about nutrition.
All of the above posts have been very helpful and have really cheered me up.
Thanks so much

 

[VeganRachel]

I cannot speak about triglicerides but just had a blood test done. My B12 was extremely high, and my D3 was extremely low.
I take 5000mg D3 every day, either from a patch or a vegan D3 from global healing. I have a clinical nutritionist and she told
me my body needs some detox, and more B6, which we are doing. Years ago I contracted Lyme, which can be a reason for some
of my needs. Be careful of drinking carbonated beverages which raise your phosphorus levels which cause health problems.
I unfortunately started drinking kombucha for several weeks which created a phosphorus imbalance, I highly recommend getting
a clinical nutritionist to do some blood work to see where your nutrient, etcetera, levels are so they can be corrected. I took plenty
of D3 yet it did not absorb in my body. Most humans are low in D3, not just vegans. Cheers.

 

[VeganRachel]

Energy can some from several nutrients. Just because your B12 is good there can be an obvious imbalance elsewhere.
Please try a clinical nutritionist who can address what is too much or too little in your food choices and absorption.
Are you lacking Zinc? iron? iodine?. Have you gotten your Covid jabs?. Are you depressed?. everything matters. cheers.

 

[David3]

Given the choice, I would see a Registered Dietitian, not a nutritionist. The educational and training requirements for Registered Dietitians are more rigorous than those for a Clinical Nutritionist: Clinical Nutritionist vs. Dietitian: What's The Difference? | Northeast College of Health Sciences

Starting in 2024, new Registered Dietitians must have a master's degree: 2024 GRADUATE DEGREE REQUIREMENT – REGISTRATION ELIGIBILITY - Commission on Dietetic Registration

 

[David3]

I have a clinical nutritionist and she told
me my body needs some detox, and more B6

.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics - the world's largest association of Registered Dietitians - makes these recommendations for supporting the body's natural detoxification process:

• 
  Stay hydrated with clean water.
• Eat five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
• Consume dietary fiber each day from vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains to help maintain bowel regularity.
• Include cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli and Brussels sprouts, berries, artichokes, garlic, onions, leeks and green tea. These support detoxification pathways.
• Consume adequate amounts of lean protein, which is critical to maintaining optimum levels of glutathione, the body's master detoxification enzyme.
• Consult your health care provider or registered dietitian nutritionist if you're interested in taking a multivitamin/multimineral to fill any gaps in a healthy diet.
• Eat naturally fermented foods such as kefir, yogurt, kimchi and sauerkraut — these may help promote a healthy gut.

Link: Whats the Deal with Detox Diets

 

[David3]

I have a clinical nutritionist and she told
me my body needs some detox, and more B6, which we are doing.

.
Per the Vegetarian Resource Group, vegans can get plenty of vitamin B6 from fortified cereals, beans, bananas, spinach, tomato juice, fortified oatmeal, and many other foods.

Link: Nutrition Hotline | Vegetarian Journal | Vegetarian Resource Group

 

[Lou]

IMHO, detox is sort of a myth perpetuated by various shady health gurus. If you eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of fluids your body has no need of detox. My only "exception" is that if you have been eating a poor diet for many years and you would like to change - and maybe lose some weight, a supervised fast could be recommended. But detoxing and then going back to your old eating habits (which is what most people do) is not advisable.

B6 is one of the vitamins the same shady health gurus will recommend. B6 levels in your blood stream can be easily determined with a blood test. B6 deficiencies are uncommon. Chickpeas, fortified foods, and multivitamins are great sources of B6

 

[David3]

B6 is one of the vitamins the same shady health gurus will recommend. B6 levels in your blood stream can be easily determined with a blood test. B6 deficiencies are uncommon. Chickpeas, fortified foods, and multivitamins are great sources of B6

.
Vitamin B6 does appear to be a nutrient that vegans should focus on. The Vegan Society's "VEG-1" supplement pill only contains 6 nutrients, and vitamin B6 is one of them: VEG 1 Blackcurrant 90 Tablets

 

[David3]

Hello,

I have been vegan for just over 3 years, at first it was going great as I was maintaining my strength in the gym whilst losing fat. However more recently I haven't been doing too well, throughout lockdown I didn't take care of my diet and ate not so good. Earlier this year I started to eat well again by having mainly whole plant foods and the occasional processed form on weekends. Initially my concern was raised when I decided to go back to the gym and start resistant training again, during most sessions I feel weak and I haven't progressed at all since starting again. I'm eating an adequate amount of calories somewhere between 2000 and 2500 whilst macros being mostly good, trying to optimize more. This was when I decided to get a blood test a few months ago, showing I had a HDL of 0.82 nmol/L and Triglycerides of 2.39 mmol/L and ALP of 143 IU/L. My B12 being fine and vitamin D being low however this has been corrected as of now with a supplement. When I have previously entered into a calorie deficit I have found it extremely hard to lose weight. I'm wondering if this would make me insulin resistant as my Thyroid hormones are normal. I don't smoke and do not drink, I have a smoothie every morning with berries and a banana however I doubt this would be the reason? I'm not excessive on fruit probably would have a apple and orange throughout the day too. Recently cut out bread although when I did have it, it was wholegrain. I eat mostly brown rice, brown pasta, lentils, quinoa, oats, chickpeas and various other beans for my protein sources. I had recently also consumed fish as I thought it may have made a difference however it hasn't done much at all and don't want to continue doing so as I believe in veganism. I'm going to get my blood work tested again tomorrow to see if anything has changed but if so I don't feel much better. My sex drive is also up sometimes but sometimes down for a while, my testosterone was measured normal at 15 nmol/L.

Has anyone experienced anything similar and can any advice be offered?

.
Nutrition medical issues should not be self-diagnosed. Please consider making an appointment with a Registered Dietitian (RD). An RD will work with you and your physician to diagnose and correct any nutritionally-caused health problems.

Your physician can refer you to a Registered Dietitian. Or, in the UK, you can find a local RD through the website of the British Dietetic Association: Find a dietitian

 

[David3]

Thank you so much for sharing these experiences with us.
I have been having exactly the same problem.
A 73 year old, I became vegan via vegetarian about three years ago. For the first two years it was fine. I lost quite a lore of weight and most of my blood work returned to normal levels. I had been having extremely high triglyceride levels and high “bad”cholesterol and very low “good” cholesterol for many years.
Then in the last six months or so everything has been getting bad again and I am back to where I was before and my very vegan-supportive doctor is beginning to get worried again. Unfortunately he doesn’t know a lot about nutrition.
All of the above posts have been very helpful and have really cheered me up.
Thanks so much

.
Hi Susan,

If you are having medical issues that are nutrition related, please consult with a Registered Dietitian (RD). Your physician can refer you to an RD, or you can find a local RD through the Japanese Dietetic Association: International Confederation of Dietetic Associations - Japan
.

 

[silva]

I cannot speak about triglicerides but just had a blood test done. My B12 was extremely high, and my D3 was extremely low.
I take 5000mg D3 every day, either from a patch or a vegan D3 from global healing. I have a clinical nutritionist and she told
me my body needs some detox, and more B6, which we are doing. Years ago I contracted Lyme, which can be a reason for some
of my needs. Be careful of drinking carbonated beverages which raise your phosphorus levels which cause health problems.
I unfortunately started drinking kombucha for several weeks which created a phosphorus imbalance, I highly recommend getting
a clinical nutritionist to do some blood work to see where your nutrient, etcetera, levels are so they can be corrected. I took plenty
of D3 yet it did not absorb in my body. Most humans are low in D3, not just vegans. Cheers.

Unless you have liver disease, leukemia, or a few other rare disorders, excess B12 is excreted with you urine.
There is only one test that indicates a true b12 blood level,and it's not the commonly used serum test:

New Vitamin B12 Test | NutritionFacts.org

Who should get tested for vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency, and which is the best test to use: serum B12, methylmalonic acid (MMA), or holotranscobalamin levels?

nutritionfacts.org

There are real quacks with the title nutritionist

 

[David3]

I cannot speak about triglicerides but just had a blood test done. My B12 was extremely high, and my D3 was extremely low.

.
"Elevated levels of serum cobalamin {B12] may be a sign of a serious, even life-threatening, disease. Hematologic disorders like chronic myelogeneous leukemia, promyelocytic leukemia, polycythemia vera and also the hypereosinophilic syndrome can result in elevated levels of cobalamin."

Link: Significance of elevated cobalamin (vitamin B12) levels in blood - PubMed

Rachel, why didn't your clinical nutritionist make you aware of this? Have you seen a physician?

 

[silva]

.
"Elevated levels of serum cobalamin {B12] may be a sign of a serious, even life-threatening, disease. Hematologic disorders like chronic myelogeneous leukemia, promyelocytic leukemia, polycythemia vera and also the hypereosinophilic syndrome can result in elevated levels of cobalamin."

Link: Significance of elevated cobalamin (vitamin B12) levels in blood - PubMed

Rachel, why didn't your clinical nutritionist make you aware of this? Have you seen a physician?

It's more likely because they had a serum test for B12--I hope!

 

[VeganRachel]

.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics - the world's largest association of Registered Dietitians - makes these recommendations for supporting the body's natural detoxification process:

• 
  Stay hydrated with clean water.
• Eat five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
• Consume dietary fiber each day from vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains to help maintain bowel regularity.
• Include cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli and Brussels sprouts, berries, artichokes, garlic, onions, leeks and green tea. These support detoxification pathways.
• Consume adequate amounts of lean protein, which is critical to maintaining optimum levels of glutathione, the body's master detoxification enzyme.
• Consult your health care provider or registered dietitian nutritionist if you're interested in taking a multivitamin/multimineral to fill any gaps in a healthy diet.
• Eat naturally fermented foods such as kefir, yogurt, kimchi and sauerkraut — these may help promote a healthy gut.

Link: Whats the Deal with Detox Diets

I understand all of this. I consume a diet very high in vegetables and whole foods. However what you consume is not
necessarily what you absorb. My point is that we may think our nutrition is fine, but there can be other factors that
get in the way. If I were a new vegan I would appreciate understanding this fact. I take a large amount of vitamin D3
& k2 daily, and get sun, but it was not absorbing. Just because someone is taking adequate B12 does not mean they are
absorbing it. In my case I was absorbing it too well.
Also, My clinical nutritionist is also an acupuncturist and has been practicing for over twenty years. She not only understands
nutrition but also chinese medicine and herbs. I have no need to see a "dietician", regardless of who says they are more
qualified. A dietician would also be incapable of helping lyme in a client. cheers, rachel

 

[VeganRachel]

Given the choice, I would see a Registered Dietitian, not a nutritionist. The educational and training requirements for Registered Dietitians are more rigorous than those for a Clinical Nutritionist: Clinical Nutritionist vs. Dietitian: What's The Difference? | Northeast College of Health Sciences

Starting in 2024, new Registered Dietitians must have a master's degree: 2024 GRADUATE DEGREE REQUIREMENT – REGISTRATION ELIGIBILITY - Commission on Dietetic Registration

Everyone makes their own choice. At the very least, a clinical nutritionist is better trained than any M.D..
The choice of practitioner can also be limited to the geographic area they reside in. Some practitioners may be
120 miles away.
However I have found a qualified clinical nutritionist practicing for over twenty years.
She is also an acupuncturist and educated in chinese medicine and herbs, qualified to help someone with lyme and other
conditions. A dietician would have absolutely no training or understanding in these fields. I will stay with the highly educated
and qualified practitioner I am using.

 

[VeganRachel]

.
"Elevated levels of serum cobalamin {B12] may be a sign of a serious, even life-threatening, disease. Hematologic disorders like chronic myelogeneous leukemia, promyelocytic leukemia, polycythemia vera and also the hypereosinophilic syndrome can result in elevated levels of cobalamin."

Link: Significance of elevated cobalamin (vitamin B12) levels in blood - PubMed

Rachel, why didn't your clinical nutritionist make you aware of this? Have you seen a physician?

OMG, doctors know nothing about nutrition. They are trained in a cut poison burn system that uses drugs and surgeries to deal
with symptoms, not deal with root causes. Also, one of many reasons for failed vegans is they go to a doctor who tells them they
need to eat animals protein again. That would have happened had I seen an allopathic medical doctor. I am seeing a 20 year qualified
practitioner, not a quack with a mail order degree. She understand exactly what is going on with my body as a result of blood tests.
I believe EVERY VEGAN (and omnivore) should get a comprehensive blood test every three to five years. We need to evaluate where we are
and take corrective measures. We really do not know whats' going on without the blood test. We simple assume all is ok.
The amazing thing is that soo many omnivores criticize vegans for being "malnourished". Yet, if every omnivore got a comprehensive
blood test they would be shocked at what nutrition is imbalanced in their system......