"Spunky, that's exactly what I'm trying to discern...whether or not my HDL is functional. From all I've read, large HDL is the functional kind as it removes the most cholesterol; small HDL is the non-functional. So if my NMR indicates my HDL-P, large HDL-P, and HDL-P size exceed the 99-100%ile, it seems like I could assume I have the functional type, right? Or, should I not rely on the NMR?"
the only thing you can rely on is the NMR to actually see if you have more of the functional particles or not. I have seen Dr Bernstein the diabetic doctor expert with HDL of 120 and others with very HDL like myself but only a moderate amount of functional but with increasing non functional which will mislead other doctors who do not know about what you discovered but other lipid values will confirm this such as APO-B/A or the other way around which I seem to mix up recalling but will be stated on most reports and looks for ideal ratio of .3 and in order to get there you need more functional HDL and other stuff like LDL-P# around 700 which is ideal..
now that you are getting it there is another thing that drives LDL-P# down is post-prandrial trig response which if one eats too much of any type of fat and is an E4 and most are hyper-absorbers of fat and the only way to get that last thing under control, well there are a few more just no time to write a book here, is to get a sterol absorption test.
there are a few companies offering this kind of test.. you need a real good lipidologist to get this far, unfortunately you now more than yours so try finding one who can really help you or you are wasting your time and getting bad advice and will never get the good outcomes you really want.
http://www.bostonheartdiagnostics.com/s ... e_test.php
now you want to understand the mind bending science behind this one take a crack at understanding it, I only grasp the principles behind it and it is rock solid.
http://www.biomarkerbliki.org/articles/9#/section/32
"Talk to me about veg. I eat them till they're coming out of my ears"
yep me too and you know fiber reduces fat absorption and reduces LDL..
there are academic studies to back this up but can't find them now it takes time
"Carrots - Consumption of 200 grams of raw Carrots may lower total serum Cholesterol levels by an average of 11%.
Celery may lower total serum Cholesterol by 7%, even at low doses
Garlic -1/2 to 1 clove per day may lower cholesterol by 9%
Globe Artichoke is like a traffic cop (seldom seen these days because hiding behind a pole or resting under a tree) and stops traffic to cholesterol synthesis.
Some varieties of sweet potatoes bind with cholesterol and experimentally have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels by 13% "
http://www.herbsorganic.co.za/newslette ... t%204.html
"Consumption of 200 grams of raw Carrots lowers total serum Cholesterol levels by an average of 11%."
this is study I can't find you find it
http://www.herbsorganic.co.za/newslette ... t%204.html
Bonus find while looking it up just for you I got this
"helped him lower his LDL-P numbers from mid 1000′s to the 700 range."
it is buried in the comments section and never verified it, but doubt it is not true and has a basis in science but you would have to chase it down yourself but my suspicions are if one has an imbalanced immune system it might not work as well for you, linked to bile salt-cholesterol binding is what I'm thinking.
so I surmise gut health is intertwined with cholesterol adsorption
http://freetheanimal.com/2013/12/resist ... wbies.html
there is a much higher level discussion at
www.heartlifetalk.com but we are moving here in the right direction.
back to showing the wifie my garden pix its peony time here.