Cholesterol went up alot on low-carb
Christianrossall
Posts: 9 Member
My LDL was extremely high and it kind of worries me. Anybody have any experience with this.
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How long were you on low carb before doing the test? Also I'm not sure how but my cholesterol was a bit higher a few months ago and my drs first question was do you drink alcohol? I don't drink at all, but it might be a thing?0
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It's not a simple question....
First, LDL is often a computed value (calculated from other values) rather than directly measured.
Second, the total LDL figure is a composite of different types of LDL, some better or worse than others.
Third, there are questions whether the risk levels assigned to standard ranges and ratios of the items in the usual lipid panel are valid.
Alas, that pretty much exhausts my knowledge on the subject, but it does seem safe to say that there's more grey involved than B/W, assuming your lipids levels are not at the extremes.2 -
Two New Cholesterol Blood Tests
The first is called the VAP test—short for vertical auto profile. This test can break cholesterol down into fractions smaller than LDL and HDL and analyze the particles comprising each of them. This is important because having a preponderance of certain types of particles can significantly raise your risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular problems. This cholesterol testing allows doctors to more accurately identify those people.
A second cholesterol blood test that has emerged more recently is the Lipoprotein Particle Profile (LPP) offered by SpectraCell Laboratories in Houston. The LPP has an advantage over the VAP test because its methodology allows for more precise measurements, and because it can measure remnant lipoprotein (RLP). To date, no other cholesterol testing has been able to single out this important type of cholesterol.
This was copied off a website and there is a whole bunch of more info on the internet and possibly more labs are offering these tests.
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Dr. Sarah Hallberg addresses this topic and is currently conducting research on it as well. Here is one of her presentations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8jUmCe3zDs 4 -
Without knowing your numbers or how long you've been low carb before the blood draw, we can't really give you any concrete advice or thoughts.
Like RalfLott said, LDL is computed and not directly measured. That computation breaks down with very high and very low triglycerides, and the closer to zero the triglycerides get, the more it breaks down, and the weirder the LDL number gets.
Additionally, low carb and keto change the composition of the LDL particles, making them benign and more like HDL particles, but that change shows up as "high" on the standard test, because it tests concentration, not number (same number of bigger particles = higher concentration, but the problems associated with high LDL come from bigger numbers of smaller particles).2 -
Healthymom_5 wrote: »Dr. Sarah Hallberg addresses this topic and is currently conducting research on it as well. Here is one of her presentations
Informative and easy to follow - thanks for the link!
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Healthymom_5 wrote: »Dr. Sarah Hallberg addresses this topic and is currently conducting research on it as well. Here is one of her presentationshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8jUmCe3zDs
Thanks once again for posting this informative presentation!
Not only does Dr. Hallberg explain a lot about lipids, blood tests, and insulin (furnishing a few reasons to give your doctor for getting insulin and advanced LDL tests), but she also discusses subgroups of folks on LC diets and, as @Healthymom_5 noted, her current research, which includes studying possible connections between LDL subtypes and progression of atherosclerosis and possible downsides to LCHF.
@baconslave @Dragonwolf - Launch Pad item?2 -
Yeah my husband has been doing keto for 3weeks he got a health screening at work the other day and not only was the bad cholesterol on the high side, his triglycerides were very high. We immediately made an appointment with our physician to get tested again. We don't know exactly what his numbers were before keto, so we dont know if that is what is causing it.0
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ominousdusk wrote: »Yeah my husband has been doing keto for 3weeks he got a health screening at work the other day and not only was the bad cholesterol on the high side, his triglycerides were very high. We immediately made an appointment with our physician to get tested again. We don't know exactly what his numbers were before keto, so we dont know if that is what is causing it.
That's a big part of the problem with a major dietary shift, without a baseline of knowledge from the original state. For all anyone can tell now, his stuff was off the charts terrible before starting keto, and it just hasn't come down yet. Or it could be the other way around. Impossible to know now, without switching back and checking again, and even that would be difficult to pull off, unless he were able to mimic what he was eating before, precisely.2 -
I think triglycerides are often higher during weight loss as well... ??? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
So just make sure the doc knows of recent weight losses
And dear god, watch those videos because there's actually no reason to even fear high cholesterol2 -
.Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »[T] here's actually no reason to even fear high cholesterol
This would be hard to prove. A variable without independent predictive value may contribute to risk profiles when combined with other factors.
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ominousdusk wrote: »Yeah my husband has been doing keto for 3weeks he got a health screening at work the other day and not only was the bad cholesterol on the high side, his triglycerides were very high. We immediately made an appointment with our physician to get tested again. We don't know exactly what his numbers were before keto, so we dont know if that is what is causing it.
Most likely if this screen at work WAS NOT performed in a fasted state, he would have higher triglyceride levels.
All dietary fats are triglycerides, by definition. Fat on pork, the fat in olive oil, the fat in other foods occur as triglycerides. When we consume fats and oils, there is a modest and nearly immediate rise in blood triglycerides. Keto on week 3, I am assuming he is still eating quite large quantities of fat to manage hunger. This is probably all the high level was from.
Any panels my doctor has ever done have always been after a 12 hr fast.3 -
@dmariet116 - Yeah, good point. Those triglycerides do tend to bounce around quite a bit when you're not fasting. But most folks don't fast ..... I wonder, though, if the 12-hour fasting test has more relevance for LCHF folks who also do IF, since it genuinely reflects our actual state for several hours a week.
Interesting that Dr. Hallberg (vid above) no longer uses the standard lipid tests....0 -
KetoTheKingdom wrote: »
.Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »[T] here's actually no reason to even fear high cholesterol
This would be hard to prove. A variable without independent predictive value may contribute to risk profiles when combined with other factors.
It may be, but it's equally hard to prove high cholesterol is a risk as well1
This discussion has been closed.