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Does a high fat diet reduce cholesterol numbers?

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MelaniaTrump
MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
If you stay within the same daily calories?
Please provide links.
I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
Which is better for cholesterol?
«1345

Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    How are you defining high fat?

    Also, what kind of fat? Any limits on that? That's likely going to make a difference, as is what the fat is replacing.

    "Vegetarian diet" has no particular macros, it can be high fat and low fat and moderate fat.

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    How are you defining high fat?

    Also, what kind of fat? Any limits on that? That's likely going to make a difference, as is what the fat is replacing.

    "Vegetarian diet" has no particular macros, it can be high fat and low fat and moderate fat.

    This ^^

    The question seems too nonspecific to garner much debate, though that doesn't always stop debate on here. ;)

    Also, it would be important to know if diet was the only thing that changed before the cholesterol profile improved, as exercise may have a bigger impact on lipid profiles than diet.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
    edited April 2016
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    @JanetYellen a year into eating 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fat both my Total Cholesterol and HDL numbers are higher than pre LCHF.

    journal-advocate.com/ci_20054451

    HDL/Total Cholesterol ideal ratio is 0.24 or greater. Mine was 0.17 pre LCHF and 0.23 after 1 year LCHF.

    Triglycerides/HDL ideal ratio is 2 or less. Mine was 3.02 pre LCHF and 0.72 after one year LCHF.

    As you can after 1 year LCHF I moved from high risk of CVD to a very safe to very low CVD risk. It also lowered my risks of premature death across the board from July 2014 to the Nov 2015 lipid panel test.

    This n=1 results is all I am interested in at a personal level. :)

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    @JanetYellen a year into eating 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fat both of my Total Cholesterol and HDL numbers are higher than pre LCHF.

    journal-advocate.com/ci_20054451

    HDL/Total Cholesterol ideal ratio is 0.24 or greater. Mine was 0.17 pre LCHF and 0.23 after 1 year LCHF.

    Triglycerides/HDL ideal ratio is 2 or less. Mine was 3.02 pre LCHF and 0.72

    As you can after 1 year LCHF I moved from high risk of CVD to a very safe to low CVD risk. It also lowered my risks of premature death across the board from Oct 2014 to the Nov 2015 lipid panel test.

    This n=1 results is all I am interested in at a personal level. :)

    Was diet the only thing that changed? Or was there weight loss, increase in physical activity, or other lifestyle changes.

    What type of diet did you have before you went LCHF?
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
    edited April 2016
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    @JanetYellen a year into eating 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fat both of my Total Cholesterol and HDL numbers are higher than pre LCHF.

    journal-advocate.com/ci_20054451

    HDL/Total Cholesterol ideal ratio is 0.24 or greater. Mine was 0.17 pre LCHF and 0.23 after 1 year LCHF.

    Triglycerides/HDL ideal ratio is 2 or less. Mine was 3.02 pre LCHF and 0.72

    As you can after 1 year LCHF I moved from high risk of CVD to a very safe to low CVD risk. It also lowered my risks of premature death across the board from Oct 2014 to the Nov 2015 lipid panel test.

    This n=1 results is all I am interested in at a personal level. :)

    Was diet the only thing that changed? Or was there weight loss, increase in physical activity, or other lifestyle changes.

    What type of diet did you have before you went LCHF?

    @Need2Exerc1se the question is: Does a high fat diet reduce cholesterol numbers? The answer was NO in the first sentence since mine numbers went up dropping my risk of death like a rock.

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    @JanetYellen a year into eating 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fat both of my Total Cholesterol and HDL numbers are higher than pre LCHF.

    journal-advocate.com/ci_20054451

    HDL/Total Cholesterol ideal ratio is 0.24 or greater. Mine was 0.17 pre LCHF and 0.23 after 1 year LCHF.

    Triglycerides/HDL ideal ratio is 2 or less. Mine was 3.02 pre LCHF and 0.72

    As you can after 1 year LCHF I moved from high risk of CVD to a very safe to low CVD risk. It also lowered my risks of premature death across the board from Oct 2014 to the Nov 2015 lipid panel test.

    This n=1 results is all I am interested in at a personal level. :)

    Was diet the only thing that changed? Or was there weight loss, increase in physical activity, or other lifestyle changes.

    What type of diet did you have before you went LCHF?

    @Need2Exerc1se the debate question was: Does a high fat diet reduce cholesterol numbers? The answer was NO in the first sentence since they went up.

    Doh! Epic reading fail. I think it would still be interesting to know if diet was the only change. For instance if you increased exercise and switched to LCHF and blood cholesterol still went up that would interesting (to me).

    But I suppose that wasn't the OP's question. My bad.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    OP stated with the same calories.

    I agree that exercise is also often going to make a difference (as could losing weight if same calories plus exercise led to lost weight).
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    @JanetYellen a year into eating 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fat both my Total Cholesterol and HDL numbers are higher than pre LCHF.

    journal-advocate.com/ci_20054451

    HDL/Total Cholesterol ideal ratio is 0.24 or greater. Mine was 0.17 pre LCHF and 0.23 after 1 year LCHF.

    Triglycerides/HDL ideal ratio is 2 or less. Mine was 3.02 pre LCHF and 0.72 after one year LCHF.

    As you can after 1 year LCHF I moved from high risk of CVD to a very safe to very low CVD risk. It also lowered my risks of premature death across the board from July 2014 to the Nov 2015 lipid panel test.

    This n=1 results is all I am interested in at a personal level. :)

    Gale, just a quick question. What was your total cholestrol level for your final readings. I know you are using mostly ratios and therefore a higher HDL makes the numbers look better without any other changes. Not questioning if it worked for you or not. I am just curious as to how it fits in with the guidelines represented on the lab results (given that you said it was higher)
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    @JanetYellen a year into eating 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fat both my Total Cholesterol and HDL numbers are higher than pre LCHF.

    journal-advocate.com/ci_20054451

    HDL/Total Cholesterol ideal ratio is 0.24 or greater. Mine was 0.17 pre LCHF and 0.23 after 1 year LCHF.

    Triglycerides/HDL ideal ratio is 2 or less. Mine was 3.02 pre LCHF and 0.72 after one year LCHF.

    As you can after 1 year LCHF I moved from high risk of CVD to a very safe to very low CVD risk. It also lowered my risks of premature death across the board from July 2014 to the Nov 2015 lipid panel test.

    This n=1 results is all I am interested in at a personal level. :)

    Gale, just a quick question. What was your total cholestrol level for your final readings. I know you are using mostly ratios and therefore a higher HDL makes the numbers look better without any other changes. Not questioning if it worked for you or not. I am just curious as to how it fits in with the guidelines represented on the lab results (given that you said it was higher)

    @20yearsyounger the numbers are at the office but I think as of Nov 2015 lipid test Total Cholesterol was down to 310 from 404 July 2015. July 2014 pre LCHF I think the reading was 213. I use the two ratios above to judge my health since we now know no study has shown cholesterol only levels to predict cardio vascular health risks.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    To narrow this down, you want a eucaloric study where the intervention diet is the same as the baseline calories, or can it be hypocaloric where two diets are compared with the same calorie intake ?

    Weight loss may have a long term effect on cholesterol by itself, and there may be a transient effect where it goes the other way too.

    Are you purely interest in numbers of lab sheets - cholesterol levels - or are you looking for indicators of diseases / heart realth / risk predictions ?

    What is eligible as "high fat " - >40% of calories, >50% ?

    How is the composition of the non-fat intake allowed to change ie should protein (or carbs) be kept the same with the other reducing to accommodate the extra fat.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Options
    Here's a recent one to kick around - DASH vs an increased fat version. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26718414

    Results: Thirty-six participants completed all 3 dietary periods. Blood pressure was reduced similarly with the DASH and HF-DASH diets compared with the control diet. The HF-DASH diet significantly reduced triglycerides and large and medium very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle concentrations and increased LDL peak particle diameter compared with the DASH diet. The DASH diet, but not the HF-DASH diet, significantly reduced LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I, intermediate-density lipoprotein and large LDL particles, and LDL peak diameter compared with the control diet.

    Conclusions: The HF-DASH diet lowered blood pressure to the same extent as the DASH diet but also reduced plasma triglyceride and VLDL concentrations without significantly increasing LDL cholesterol. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01404897.

    Experimental: Dietary Intervention: Control Diet Other: Dietary Intervention

    3 weeks of a typical Western diet pattern. 48% carbohydrate, 15% protein, 37% fat.

    3 weeks of a diet based on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet plan. 57% carbohydrate, 18% protein, 25% fat.

    3 weeks of a reduced carbohydrate, higher fat modification of the DASH diet plan. 42% carbohydrate, 18% protein, 40% fat.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    @JanetYellen a year into eating 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fat both my Total Cholesterol and HDL numbers are higher than pre LCHF.

    journal-advocate.com/ci_20054451

    HDL/Total Cholesterol ideal ratio is 0.24 or greater. Mine was 0.17 pre LCHF and 0.23 after 1 year LCHF.

    Triglycerides/HDL ideal ratio is 2 or less. Mine was 3.02 pre LCHF and 0.72 after one year LCHF.

    As you can after 1 year LCHF I moved from high risk of CVD to a very safe to very low CVD risk. It also lowered my risks of premature death across the board from July 2014 to the Nov 2015 lipid panel test.

    This n=1 results is all I am interested in at a personal level. :)

    Gale, just a quick question. What was your total cholestrol level for your final readings. I know you are using mostly ratios and therefore a higher HDL makes the numbers look better without any other changes. Not questioning if it worked for you or not. I am just curious as to how it fits in with the guidelines represented on the lab results (given that you said it was higher)

    @20yearsyounger the numbers are at the office but I think as of Nov 2015 lipid test Total Cholesterol was down to 310 from 404 July 2015. July 2014 pre LCHF I think the reading was 213. I use the two ratios above to judge my health since we now know no study has shown cholesterol only levels to predict cardio vascular health risks.

    Thanks for sharing and good job on your results. Personally, I would prefer the nice ratios at your pre LCHF level. I have nothing against high fat diets. The good fats will increase HDL and give better ratios. Same as exercise. From a personal experience, I ordered the tests myself and tracked my own body fat versus cholestrol progress and my lower body fat had a strong correlation to better cholestrol numbers.

    I did a quick search and found this study
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3303886/#!po=31.0811
    While it doesnt prove anything it was still an interesting read to see that with this population there are risks involved with high cholestrol numbers moreso with IHD than CVD. But the study doesnt have data on the underlying ratios which I agree with you is more important.
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    edited April 2016
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    NO, a high fat diet INCREASED my cholesterol. This happened when I started eating low carb, high fat paleo. Prior to going paleo, I had normal labs. This was the first time I had dodgy labs.

    On low carb, high fat paleo, I was eating 1500-1700 cals, was around 145 lbs, I'm 5' 4.5". I was mostly sedentary.
    Total Cholesterol - 287 (should be <200)
    LDL - 203 (should be <100)
    HDL - 65 (should be >39)
    Triglycerides - 95 (should be <125)

    Last June, I changed my diet to a plant-based diet, low fat (10%) and high carb (75%). I had become more active, was eating about 1700-2000 cals and at the time of my blood test, I was about 135 lbs.
    Total Cholesterol - 168 (down 41%)
    LDL - 108 (down 47%)
    HDL - 46
    Triglycerides - 71

    So, considering the difference in weight between the two tests was only about 10 lbs, and the calorie intake wasn't vastly different, the improvement in cholesterol can be attributed to reducing fat. Exercise also probably helped. I was previously eating a lot of meat, milk, cheese, eggs and used olive oil when cooking. Now I avoid using oil when cooking and have cut waaay back on animal foods. I still eat chocolates and ice cream as I did before though.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    NO, a high fat diet INCREASED my cholesterol. This happened when I started eating low carb, high fat paleo. Prior to going paleo, I had normal labs. This was the first time I had dodgy labs.

    On low carb, high fat paleo, I was eating 1500-1700 cals, was around 145 lbs, I'm 5' 4.5". I was mostly sedentary.
    Total Cholesterol - 287 (should be <200)
    LDL - 203 (should be <100)
    HDL - 65 (should be >39)
    Triglycerides - 90 (should be <125)

    Last June, I changed my diet to a plant-based diet, low fat (10%) and high carb (75%). I had become more active, was eating about 1700-2000 cals and at the time of my blood test, I was about 135 lbs.
    Total Cholesterol - 168 (down 41%)
    LDL - 108 (down 47%)
    HDL - 46
    Triglycerides - 71

    So, considering the difference in weight between the two tests was only about 10 lbs, and the calorie intake wasn't vastly different, the improvement in cholesterol can be attributed to reducing fat. Exercise also probably helped. I was previously eating a lot of meat, milk, cheese, eggs and used olive oil when cooking. Now I avoid using oil when cooking and have cut waaay back on animal foods. I still eat chocolates and ice cream as I did before though.

    maybe. Although it was only a drop of 10lbs, a drop in overall body fat could change your numbers as well even with higher fat. HDL above 60 is a risk reduction factor.
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    NO, a high fat diet INCREASED my cholesterol. This happened when I started eating low carb, high fat paleo. Prior to going paleo, I had normal labs. This was the first time I had dodgy labs.

    On low carb, high fat paleo, I was eating 1500-1700 cals, was around 145 lbs, I'm 5' 4.5". I was mostly sedentary.
    Total Cholesterol - 287 (should be <200)
    LDL - 203 (should be <100)
    HDL - 65 (should be >39)
    Triglycerides - 90 (should be <125)

    Last June, I changed my diet to a plant-based diet, low fat (10%) and high carb (75%). I had become more active, was eating about 1700-2000 cals and at the time of my blood test, I was about 135 lbs.
    Total Cholesterol - 168 (down 41%)
    LDL - 108 (down 47%)
    HDL - 46
    Triglycerides - 71

    So, considering the difference in weight between the two tests was only about 10 lbs, and the calorie intake wasn't vastly different, the improvement in cholesterol can be attributed to reducing fat. Exercise also probably helped. I was previously eating a lot of meat, milk, cheese, eggs and used olive oil when cooking. Now I avoid using oil when cooking and have cut waaay back on animal foods. I still eat chocolates and ice cream as I did before though.

    maybe. Although it was only a drop of 10lbs, a drop in overall body fat could change your numbers as well even with higher fat. HDL above 60 is a risk reduction factor.

    Then how come my cholesterol was normal BEFORE I went low carb, high fat paleo, even though my weight was not that different? The most significant change from before paleo, was the increase in dietary fat.

    Also, HDL typically goes up if you eat high fat. That's why most hardcore high fat paleos get very high HDL and it makes them feel better about their correspondingly high TC and LDL because it "improves" their ratios. The way I see it, instead of raising HDL to mop up after the bad cholesterol, how about keeping the bad cholesterol down in the first place.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    NO, a high fat diet INCREASED my cholesterol. This happened when I started eating low carb, high fat paleo. Prior to going paleo, I had normal labs. This was the first time I had dodgy labs.

    On low carb, high fat paleo, I was eating 1500-1700 cals, was around 145 lbs, I'm 5' 4.5". I was mostly sedentary.
    Total Cholesterol - 287 (should be <200)
    LDL - 203 (should be <100)
    HDL - 65 (should be >39)
    Triglycerides - 90 (should be <125)

    Last June, I changed my diet to a plant-based diet, low fat (10%) and high carb (75%). I had become more active, was eating about 1700-2000 cals and at the time of my blood test, I was about 135 lbs.
    Total Cholesterol - 168 (down 41%)
    LDL - 108 (down 47%)
    HDL - 46
    Triglycerides - 71

    So, considering the difference in weight between the two tests was only about 10 lbs, and the calorie intake wasn't vastly different, the improvement in cholesterol can be attributed to reducing fat. Exercise also probably helped. I was previously eating a lot of meat, milk, cheese, eggs and used olive oil when cooking. Now I avoid using oil when cooking and have cut waaay back on animal foods. I still eat chocolates and ice cream as I did before though.

    maybe. Although it was only a drop of 10lbs, a drop in overall body fat could change your numbers as well even with higher fat. HDL above 60 is a risk reduction factor.

    Then how come my cholesterol was normal BEFORE I went low carb, high fat paleo, even though my weight was not that different? The most significant change from before paleo, was the increase in dietary fat.

    Also, HDL typically goes up if you eat high fat. That's why most hardcore high fat paleos get very high HDL and it makes them feel better about their correspondingly high TC and LDL because it "improves" their ratios. The way I see it, instead of raising HDL to mop up after the bad cholesterol, how about keeping the bad cholesterol down in the first place.

    My only argument is that because you only saw a 10lb different, it doesnt mean that your body composition doesnt come into play. Who knows what really happened unless you were measuring the other factors.

    I dont eat high fat but my HDL levels are high. The only reason I commented there was because you went from one extreme high-fat to another extreme low-fat. Who is to say you wouldnt have good or better results at 15%,20%,25% 30% fat?
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    Options
    If you stay within the same daily calories?
    Please provide links.
    I want exact info that shows daily caloric info and changes in cholesterol numbers.
    Not just sites stating that if you replace the SAD junk food diet with this, well,, of coarse.
    Info on diets like the mediterranean, or vegetarian diet vs high fat diet would be nice.
    Which is better for cholesterol?

    NO, a high fat diet INCREASED my cholesterol. This happened when I started eating low carb, high fat paleo. Prior to going paleo, I had normal labs. This was the first time I had dodgy labs.

    On low carb, high fat paleo, I was eating 1500-1700 cals, was around 145 lbs, I'm 5' 4.5". I was mostly sedentary.
    Total Cholesterol - 287 (should be <200)
    LDL - 203 (should be <100)
    HDL - 65 (should be >39)
    Triglycerides - 90 (should be <125)

    Last June, I changed my diet to a plant-based diet, low fat (10%) and high carb (75%). I had become more active, was eating about 1700-2000 cals and at the time of my blood test, I was about 135 lbs.
    Total Cholesterol - 168 (down 41%)
    LDL - 108 (down 47%)
    HDL - 46
    Triglycerides - 71

    So, considering the difference in weight between the two tests was only about 10 lbs, and the calorie intake wasn't vastly different, the improvement in cholesterol can be attributed to reducing fat. Exercise also probably helped. I was previously eating a lot of meat, milk, cheese, eggs and used olive oil when cooking. Now I avoid using oil when cooking and have cut waaay back on animal foods. I still eat chocolates and ice cream as I did before though.

    maybe. Although it was only a drop of 10lbs, a drop in overall body fat could change your numbers as well even with higher fat. HDL above 60 is a risk reduction factor.

    Then how come my cholesterol was normal BEFORE I went low carb, high fat paleo, even though my weight was not that different? The most significant change from before paleo, was the increase in dietary fat.

    Also, HDL typically goes up if you eat high fat. That's why most hardcore high fat paleos get very high HDL and it makes them feel better about their correspondingly high TC and LDL because it "improves" their ratios. The way I see it, instead of raising HDL to mop up after the bad cholesterol, how about keeping the bad cholesterol down in the first place.

    My only argument is that because you only saw a 10lb different, it doesnt mean that your body composition doesnt come into play. Who knows what really happened unless you were measuring the other factors.

    I dont eat high fat but my HDL levels are high. The only reason I commented there was because you went from one extreme high-fat to another extreme low-fat. Who is to say you wouldnt have good or better results at 15%,20%,25% 30% fat?

    Because I've taken several tests in between those two and I can't argue with my own results, which show a downward trend with decreasing fat. Here's the thing, people are different. Some have a propensity for higher cholesterol than others do. Even at my low fat levels, you'll notice my LDL is 108 when it should be under 100. It's been over 6 months since my last test so I'll be testing again to see what's changed. So I'm one of those people who can't mess around with fatty foods and esp animal fats and get away with it, as I found out. Some folks eat ultra high fat and swear their labs are normal.

    The only thing that should matter is how one's own body reacts to a particular diet. It's just like how some folks can't eat high carb and keep their blood glucose normal, whereas, I eat very high carb, mostly whole foods but I include sugar and sweets and yet, my last fasting blood glucose was 70 mg/dl(normal being 65-99). I have great insulin sensitivity, but can't handle too much fat. Works for me though because I prefer carbs and sweets anyway and I don't miss the types of fats that I've cut out. So it's win win.
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    Options
    Also, I should add that if you go to forums like Marks Daily Apple, which is low carb, high fat paleo central, you'll find numerous threads started by people who went on the diet, lost weight and yet their cholesterol numbers skyrocketed. And their question is always, 'what went wrong?'. Well...duh! you ate more fat, that's why.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Options
    Big drop in HDL there and getting close to the minimum. Hmm.