Familial Hypercholesterolemia

ominousdusk

My bf has Familial Hypercholesterolemia and I feel like keto would help. He's on medication right now for it. Does anyone who knows more about this disorder point me in the direction of any studies or information that I can read so that I can present some information to him on it?

cstehansen

Chris Kresser touches on it just a bit here:

https://chriskresser.com/what-causes-elevated-ldl-particle-number/

Not sure it that will help a lot. Normally, I try to lean more on research studies than articles, but in this case, I don't have any saved for FH specifically. I do have lots on cholesterol in general.

A couple of notes as I have been researching cholesterol a ton the last several months:

1) numerous experts believe doctors misdiagnose FH regularly. If the patient is not obese but has very high cholesterol (over 300), some doctors will (incorrectly) diagnose as FH

2) Keto has been shown to improve cholesterol in MOST people. There is a small percentage whose cholesterol reacts unfavorably. Dr Sarah Halberg is one who has shown an interest in looking into potential causes. I believe she said it was less than 10%.

3) If losing weight, cholesterol frequently goes up before it comes down on keto. Personally, both my HDL and LDL went up immediately. Then over the last year, my HDL has continued to go up, but my LDL is trending down.

nvmomketo

All i thought of was Kresser too.
You don't see a lot on keto and FH. As a general rule, you see and here advice to avoid fats and cholesterol and take statins... I'm sfraid I haven't looked into it at all. I hope others know more.

RalfLott

Here are some interesting observations (by Michael Eades) on our ability to quickly and radically alter our lipid profiles through dietary intervention:

https://proteinpower.com/drmike/2017/07/25/how-to-lower-your-cholesterol/#more-6263

Xerogs

I have FH and I am still on fairly low doses of medication for it. I am working towards smaller doses or nothing but even when I was younger and in shape my cholesterol and triglycerides were high. That being said cutting out the carbs (sugar) and exercising has improved my blood work considerably much more so than just eating healthy and being somewhat active.

My last PCP must have been getting some serious kick backs from Big Pharma. He had me on so many medications and did nothing but make my good cholesterol tank. I was lucky enough to find a good doctor who worked with me for about a year to cut a lot of those meds and encouraged nutrition and exercise to manage it.

My advice is to talk to a nutritionist and find a good doctor who will try things other than medication to lower his numbers.

ominousdusk

Thank you very much! He said he was tested as a child because he had very high cholesterol back then too. His cholesterol is still high even though he's not really overweight and he's on a statin.
He's quit drinking, but I'm trying to convince him to at least lower his carbs. I've been cooking him his favorite stuff, except in keto form, to show him he can still eat stuff he likes. Maybe if he's around me enough haha.