Is high cholesterol dangerous? What are triglycerides?
Why do some people have high cholesterol and healthy hearts?
This study says no link between cholesterol and heart disease in the over 60's. Is it time to ditch the statins? Top British cardiologist, Dr. Aseem Malhotra suggests it may be.
Medical Disclaimer -Before embarking on any change in diet, lifestyle or activity, you may need to be under the supervision and care of your primary healthcare provider. This article should not be construed as medical advice, nor should it be substituted for medical advice from your healthcare provider. By continuing to read this article, you assume all responsibilities and risks for instituting lifestyle management.
If you are confused about what to do next, find a Low-Carb Practitioners near you and discuss your situation and your results.
They will be able to explain your options and help you navigate a variety of blood tests or possibly a calcium scan which is a true reflection of your heart health, rather than a predicted ratio that has been calculated using population data.
Jump to:
- Does Saturated Fat Clog Arteries?
- What Does Cholesterol Do In Our Body?
- Does Cholesterol Predict Heart Disease Risk?
- New Study On Cholesterol
- Should You Worry About High Cholesterol?
- Is Inflammation Dangerous?
- 5 Things You Need To Do For A Healthy Heart
- Best Books On Cholesterol
- References & Further Reading
- 💬 Comments
Does Saturated Fat Clog Arteries?
According to this study published in the British Medical Journal, they say no, saturated fat does not clog arteries. In fact, they go even further to suggest that coronary heart disease is actually a chronic inflammatory condition.
No statins are required. The risks of developing heart disease can be effectively reduced from healthy lifestyle interventions.
- LDL cholesterol risk has been exaggerated.
- A high TC to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio is the best predictor of cardiovascular risk.
- Coronary artery disease is a chronic inflammatory disease.
- Preventing the development of atherosclerosis is important but it is atherothrombosis that is the real killer.
- Postmenopausal women with CHD, greater intake of saturated fat was associated with less progression of atherosclerosis whereas carbohydrate and polyunsaturated fat intake were associated with greater progression.
- Coronary artery disease pathogenesis and treatment urgently requires a paradigm shift.
What Does Cholesterol Do In Our Body?
- Cholesterol is required by almost every cell in our bodies. It is so vital we are able to manufacture it. Cholesterol is predominantly made by your liver. Cholesterol is so vital we manufacture the bulk of the body's requirements.
- Cholesterol is the structure which is the base of all our sex hormones, bile acid and Vitamin D is made from. Cholesterol maintains cell walls, allows cellular communication and transportation of substances.
- Cholesterol aids the body in fighting infection. When there is an infection present in the body, HDL goes down because it is used to fight the toxins, and this may be one of the reasons why cholesterol is found at the site of inflammation. But this is not to say that cholesterol is to blame for the inflammation, in fact, it could be the opposite, it is present to calm the inflammation.
Does Cholesterol Predict Heart Disease Risk?
Cholesterol is a poor predictor of heart disease. Half of those with heart disease have 'normal' cholesterol levels. Half of those with 'high' cholesterol levels have healthy hearts. Most heart attack victims have cholesterol within the "normal" range.
And should we eat a low-fat diet or a low-carb diet? The World Heart Federation president, Salim Yusuf, has presented the data from the PURE study on diet and cardiovascular disease. He concluded that fats protect us and carbs are harmful.
Inflammation is the real enemy of heart disease.
- Cholesterol is a poor predictor of heart disease. Half of those with heart disease have 'normal' cholesterol levels. Half of those with 'high' cholesterol levels have healthy hearts. Most heart attack victims have cholesterol within the "normal" range.
- It is the carrier of cholesterol (the lipoproteins LDL and HDL) which give a clearer indication of heart health. The concept of "Good" cholesterol HDL and "Bad" cholesterol LDL are outdated. We need to look at our particle sizes and patterns. Type A LDL are large fluffy particles that "looks like a cotton ball and does as much damage". Type B is a small, hard, dense one which becomes oxidised and angry, sticking to the endothelium and creating inflammation. So you really need to know your particle size and how many of Type A or Type B you have. Just knowing your total LDL is not very helpful, to say the least.
- Eating more good healthy fat raises your level of Type A fluffy particles, eating more sugar raises the Type B angry little particles, which really causes the damage. There appears to be some evidence that high amounts of omega 6 oils can also increase LDL type B.
- How do you get higher levels of angry, sticky, heavy, dense LDL particles? Glycation. This occurs when there is too much glucose in the blood, yet again pointing to sugar being the 'bad boy'. Sugar and carbs are far more detrimental to our health than dietary fat.
- Sugar causes inflammation. Sugar raises insulin which raises blood pressure, appetite, triglycerides and Type B LDL. Sugar in the blood attaches to proteins and causes AGE's (advanced glycation end-products). High levels of circulating insulin may cause microvascular damage to capillary walls in kidneys, which increases blood pressure, and causes the kidneys to retain sodium, which collectively increases blood pressure.
- Sugar causes high triglycerides, which is by far the biggest danger sign for heart disease. Lower your sugar, lowers insulin, lowers triglycerides, lowers your risk.
- Cholesterol carriers are only a problem when they are oxidised (damaged). Once they are damaged, they stick to the lining (endothelium) of our blood vessels and starts the process of inflammation. "Cholesterol cannot accumulate in arteries without inflammation."
- Inflammation is the true cause of heart disease. And what causes inflammation? You guessed it, high carb diet, high insulin levels, processed foods, stress, smoking, heavy alcohol use.
- Low cholesterol is not healthy. Low cholesterol is linked with depression, aggression, Alzheimer's, suicidal thoughts to name a few. Cholesterol is required to make brain cells. You need cholesterol for memory and cognitive function. Read Lipitor - Thief of a Memory, written by a former astronaut who lost his memory after taking a statin to lower his cholesterol.
- Omega 3 fats are anti-inflammatory, Omega 6 fats cause inflammation. It's the balance we must get right. Avoid Omega 6 fats (from processed vegetable oils such as canola oil, soy oil), and increase our Omega 3 fats - walnuts, flaxseeds, macadamia nuts, wild fish, grass-fed meat.
- The benefits of statins have been grossly exaggerated, the side effects have been underreported. There is a great debate going on with the statin lobbyists, and pharmaceutical companies to release their figures. There are class actions taking place in America against the statin drug companies, stating they knowingly have underreported side effects such as muscle damage, memory loss and diabetes. There is also research into the fact that statins reduce Co-enzyme Q10, an enzyme required by every mitochondria for energy transfer, causing muscle pain and damage (and what is the most important muscle in your body - ahhh, that would be your heart), may actually contribute to heart disease!!!
- Statins should never be prescribed for the elderly, most women and only in middle-aged men with a history of proven coronary heart disease. Statins are a multi-billion dollar industry, who are now encouraging treating patients with lower "normal" ranges, so to include more of the population. They lobby the notion that reducing cholesterol promotes good health, especially to Health Insurance Companies.
- The biggest side effects of statins are memory loss, muscle damage, diabetes, loss of energy and low immunity. Statins reduce hormone production, bile production and Vitamin D.
- Don't go low-fat and wholegrain. You will not be doing your heart any favours. Eat low-carb, high-fat, unprocessed, real food.
- The bad science that got us into this mess of believing that fat causes heart disease, have all been proven to be inaccurate and flawed. The main two are Ancel Keys Seven Countries Study and the China Study.
- A low-fat diet has been shown to be worse for our health in almost every way. Going low carb high fat leads to better health outcomes and disease prevention.
- Well-meaning researchers wanted to cure the population of heart disease, only they jumped in too fast. They started writing food guidelines before all the research had been done and done well. They jumped the gun. And now the notion that fat makes you fat, eating cholesterol raises your cholesterol are ingrained in our beliefs and seem logical and true. But nothing could be further from the truth. It is this simple concept of "fat makes you fat, and eating cholesterol raises your cholesterol" actually requires a lot of science and understanding to de-bunk it and therein lies the problem. To prove a simple theory wrong, you have to have a great understanding to truly believe what is counterintuitive.
"Dietary factors and therapeutic lifestyle changes have no side effects. They should be considered the first line of defense in preventative cardiology"
New Study On Cholesterol
Is cholesterol dangerous? A new study on cholesterol in the over 60 reaffirms that cholesterol is not linked with heart disease or higher death rates. In fact, the inverse may be true. Cholesterol may be protective and help our mental function, helps us fight infections, and is vital for healthy hormone production.
Top British cardiologist, Dr. Aseem Malhotra suggests it may be time to rethink our use of statins and what it means to have a healthy heart.
Should You Worry About High Cholesterol?
- Is your cholesterol actually high? What are your LDL particle size and pattern? What about your triglycerides?
- Does the risk of taking a statin outweigh the risk of having a heart attack?
- Eat low-carb, high-fat and see your weight drop, insulin resistance reversed, HDL and Type A LDL improve and triglycerides fall.
- Cholesterol treatment and advice has not changed over the past few decades, whereas science has. The message is not getting out there because of the strong statin lobbyists, huge financial gains and rewards but the pharmaceutical industry, and research grants still available. Research is showing that cholesterol is not what we once thought it was, but it is not appearing in the clinical setting.
- What is your CRP reading (C-Reactive Protein is a marker for inflammation, which we know is the true cause of heart disease and all other major diseases).
- What is your calcium score? The true reflection of heart health.
Should You Worry About Statins?
If you're on a statin (or your doctor wants you to go on a statin), take a look at Zoe Harcombe's We Have Got Cholesterol Completely Wrong. She discusses six things you need to know about cholesterol, what is high cholesterol, is it, in fact, healthy, the side effects of statins, and the impending lawsuits.
"My top tip is: don’t have a cholesterol test and then you’ll have one fewer thing to worry about".
Is Inflammation Dangerous?
Inflammation is caused by processed foods, omega 6 fats, trans fats, seed oils, stress, and a high sugar diet. And what calms inflammation? Cholesterol. That's right, cholesterol is trying to 'patch up' areas of damage to the blood vessels.
- Cholesterol Testing - Gary Fettke No Fructose
- The Straight Dope On Cholesterol - Dr Peter Attia, MD
- YouTube Channel Low Carb Playlist
Are Triglycerides Important?
Yes, raised triglycerides are a direct reflection of your ability to metabolise carbohydrates, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes.
Cholesterol is not the best predictor of heart health - triglycerides are.
5 Things You Need To Do For A Healthy Heart
- Don't smoke. Don't drink alcohol to excess.
- Exercise moderately.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat whole, unprocessed foods, with plenty of omega 3 fats and improve gut health.
- Manage stress.
But where is cholesterol mentioned here? It's not, because it is of little real value. The best indicators for long life are high HDL, low triglycerides, and low insulin levels.
Stress contributes to almost every disease known. It affects our ability to recover, our immunity, inflammation, blood pressure, overproduction of platelets (which start blood clots that block arteries), and adrenal depletion.
How you deal with stress and cope with stress is vital to your health and well-being.
Best Books On Cholesterol
The Cholesterol Myth - Why lowering your cholesterol won't prevent heart disease. Cholesterol levels are a poor predictor of heart disease and standard prescriptions for lowering it, such as low-fat diets and statins, obscure the real causes of heart disease.
The Great Cholesterol Con - Dr. Malcom Kendrick will change the way you think about cholesterol forever.
Lies My Doctor Told Me - Dr. Ken D. Berry, MD. Medical myths that can harm your health.
References & Further Reading
- BMJ study - Lack of an association or an inverse association between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and mortality in the elderly: a systematic review
- 1: Is atherosclerosis caused by high cholesterol?
- 2: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Cholesterol Treatment. A Re-examination of the Cholesterol Issue in Japan
- 3: Lipoprotein Aggregates Complexed with Microbial Remnants and LDL Autoantibodies
- 4: High cholesterol may protect against infections and atherosclerosis
- 5: Virus induced inflammation and cancer development
"For decades, the mainstream view has been that an elevated level of total cholesterol (TC) is a primary cause of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). There are several contradictions to this view, however. No study of unselected people has found an association between TC and degree of atherosclerosis". (1)
"Moreover, in most of the Japanese epidemiological studies, high TC is not a risk factor for stroke, and further, there is an inverse association between TC and all-cause mortality, irrespective of age and sex". (2)
"It is well known that total cholesterol becomes less of a risk factor or not at all for all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality with increasing age, but as little is known as to whether low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), one component of total cholesterol, is associated with mortality in the elderly..." the study published in the British Medical journal decided to study this further.
The BMJ Study
They identified 19 studies, with a total of 68094 elderly participants where all-cause mortality was recorded.
Their conclusion was high LDL-C is inversely proportional to mortality in most people over 60 years. This is inconsistent with the current cholesterol hypothesis.
"Since elderly people with high LDL-C live as long or longer than those with low LDL-C, our analysis provides reason to question the validity of the cholesterol hypothesis."
The study suggests "re-evaluation of guidelines recommending pharmacological reduction of LDL-C" ie: statins.
Susan
This article was great when I read it, and I have since read The Great Cholesterol Myth. What a wonderful book! It has showed me that I am NOT at risk for a cardiac event, and it enabled me to get my 77-year-old husband to finally get off his statin drug. It was a very low dose, but given that his memory isn't the greatest, I feel much better that he is no longer taking that drug. So you've had an all-around positive effect on our lives. I feel great relief at finally truly understanding how important cholesterol is to the quality of our lives, and how right I was to never want to take cholesterol drugs. Thank you again for putting out such good information.
Susan
I am so grateful for this article! I took myself off a statin drug after I found out it was causing my knee pain. I recently had a doctor tell me I needed to be on a cholesterol-lowering drug, so I was put on ezetimibe, which after 6 weeks gave me not only the same joint pain but also noticeable muscle weakness. Needless to say, I called my doctor and got off the drug immediately. The idea that statins can cause diabetes is frightening. I also discovered that another drug I was on for years (one of the stomach acid-lowering drugs) also predisposes one to diabetes. Add to that the fact that my father had diabetes in his old age (I'm 76), and I can't help but be afraid of what might be in my future. I'm betting that the 2 years with wacko thyroid values hasn't helped, either. With your help and recipes, and recipes from a couple of other keto bloggers, I'm working on seriously lowering my carb intake. Thank you for educating me on such important topics.
tim
Fat Fiction is a documentary that sums this up nicely. I've been on keto diet for a month now and already lost 10 pounds, and I dont excersize much. I have way more energy now and feel smarter because my brain is using ketones instead of glucose to think. I feel so sorry for brainwashed vegans, no offense. My grandma died because of the lies spread by the cholesterol haters. And I'm a medievalist by trade so I like to call the high carb diet the peasant diet, not to be offensive but because wealthy people in medieval times ate low carb and peasants ate mostly grains. I hope more people wake up to this mess, especially "woke" people who wouldnt know the truth if it was wrapped in money.
Thanks for spreading good science!
Hazel
Thank you for putting this out there. I have been doing variations of LC/HF/keto/Carnivore for the past 12 months. I also read the western price foundation books and implement fermenting for my vegetables to make them more nutritious. Bone broth, dairy, eggs. meat are all part of my daily eating routine. Since I started I have healed my gut issues, lost a considerable amount of my annoying stomach fat ( and some elsewhere) pretty much reversed my insulin resistance and have completely experienced and understood the truth of everything your saying here through my own experiment on my body. Hopefully the Western government will be pressured into changing the dietary guidelines before too many more people die from the preventable diseases cause by high sugar eating
Yvonne Ryves
Just reading through some of your posts plus those from other people and this is all fascinating.
I am 66, I exercise for around 1hr daily - walking, Qigong and Zumba
BMI is 21.9
BP (after 24hrs on a monitor) is 14/90
cholesterol is
Total: 7.9 HDL 2.26 LDL 5.1 Tri 1.43 Ratio Total/HDL 3.66
Diet and exercise make no difference to my levels. Before I was put on Prolia for bone density my cholesterol total was always about 1.0 lower than this. I have reads Prolia can raise cholesterol. I have tried plant sterols, high strength fish oils and more recently Lipantil. I have come off all of them within a week (lasted 4 days on lapantil) as with all my muscles start to ache which leads me to believe my body needs this cholesterol and objects if I try to lower it.
I have just been put on Ramitace for blood pressure.
My Dr is lovely and I can talk to him about all of this but what I am wondering now is should I be trying to adjust my diet again (cheese, veg, fish, fruit, little meat at the moment) or am I better getting my heart checked over or is there something else I should be asking about?
My maternal grandmother had two strokes and my mother had high blood pressure but I know no more than this.
Thanks
Cameron
This is a super article and is very accurate. I follow a low carb semi carnivore diet. This article makes good sense and finally links all of the health factors together.
My only question is, where are the sources? Research or other articles supporting these statements. Personally I know it's true regardless, but I know someone will get on here and refute these points since there's no sources. And some research based vegan would probably refute every point made here.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Great point! the references are right at the top. This is a summary of numerous points and sources held within the three top books. They also cite each and every fact here.
Aika Ignacio
This is an interesting read. Just like what stated in this article, other studies have also confirmed that people with heart disease have the same cholesterol levels as people who do not have heart disease. I think extensive research is required to prove a certain point in this case.
Heart health
Wow1 Article has all the necessary replies to my questions.
Stef
Oh please google Fiber menace!
mike
I just had a blood test and my HDL was the same at 53, but my LD was 117, the lowest ever in my 60 plus years! Triglyceries were 93. I was on a keto diet. I cut out as much sugars as I could and had very low carbs. Wow.
I hope a better cholesterol profile can undo any damage from higher LDL levels previously.
Ed Elmy
Great article. What about Familial Hypercholesterolaemia? Does the same advice apply for this condition? We're desperate to get some correct advice.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
This is a great article to read. It's a well-researched article from Dr Zoe Harcombe. One of her quotes, "If you are not limited by the assumption that high cholesterol is bad, you can view FH quite differently." She then discusses the research and the current use of statins.
Theresa
I am a little confused by the LDL fluffy vs. dense discussion on this site. My question is: would switching to a LCHF diet lower the dense LDL type? Or, if once you have dense LDL in the system and the inflammation process has started, its irreversible.
Randy Ice PT, CCS
Yes lowering your simple carb intake along with regular exercise will change you from a Pattern B (small dense LDL) to a Pattern A (large fluffy LDL). Nothing is "irreversible" when it comes to cardiovascular disease and risk factors. They all can be modified by what you do with your diet, exercise habits, nutritional supplements, hormone replacement, etc. My other suggestion would be to follow Linus Pauling and Mathias Rath's advice and take fat soluble (Lypospheric) Vitamin C every day, at least 2000 mg. It is available online from Livon Laboratories in Henderson, Nevada. It is is a gel packet and very easy to consume. The Cardiology World continues to ignore the Unified Theory of Atherosclerosis proposed by these two scientists in 1991, however keeping the endothelium and basement membrane of the arteries healthy is massively important to preventing atherosclerosis......probably more important then every other item discussed above IMHO.
Ralph Tortuga
I've been low carb since February, and have lost a substantial amount of weight, which I always assumed was a good thing. However, last month I was having intense stomach pain, and the doctor found an adynamic illius via x-ray, which led to a cat scan. Low and behold, fatty liver. So, my doctor suggested a full blood panel to get a better idea what is going on inside. They found that my LDL was elicited, and my HDL was very low. At this point in my lifestyle change, I would assume my body had regulated itself out, but I am not sure. So, anyway, I was put on a statin for my cholesterol, so much fun! I should note that my fat intake is low, very low as I was told fat is for satiety and I am usually just not hungry throughout the day. My doctor learned I am taking in around 900-1000 calories a day and about lost it. It was about a third my maintenance calories, but I just wasn't hungry. I suppose I need advice, then. I like keto, but I'm not sure my body is showing the same love. Should I increase carbs to add additional whole grains, or wait it out? I'm starting to think the LC diet isn't for me.
Garth
I suggest you read up a little more. I'd recommend a keto diet, LCHF (low carb high fat) specifically. Your body needs fuel, which can either be sugar (or sugar converted from carbs), or fat. It sounds like your diet eliminated both. I have lost significant weight on LCHF, brought my cholesterol under control (expected readings differ on keto diets - again, read up). More and more studies refer to the evils of sugar; eliminate sugar, reduce carbs to very low, and ... (here's the strange part) increase fats to give your body fuel. This is VERY over-simplified - spend time googling and convince yourself, which is what I did. Good luck!
Randy Ice PT, CCS
All "diets" have issues, and will be stopped sooner or later. You need a healthier eating pattern to follow. My advise is to visit the Weston Price Foundation website and follow the "Wise Traditions" eating program they discuss extensively. The emphasis is on unprocessed dairy products such as butter, ghee, home made yogurt and kefir, grass fed beef, cod liver oil and coconut oil, etc..........lots of healthy fats. Avoid all vegetable oils except olive and coconut oils. I would advise getting off the statin drug, There is virtually no evidence it will prevent a heart attack or stroke and plenty of evidence it will make you sick in a variety of potential ways down the road due to their mitochondrial poisoning effects. Do your due diligence on the Internet to verify this is true. Be aware of the difference between absolute and relative risk reduction...........statins have at best, a 1% absolute risk reduction of heart attack or mortality. Can you imagine what would happen if antibiotics worked only 1% of the time? No body would take them!
Don
I went on the Akins diet many years ago and ended up in ER with breathing problems ,the doctor told be I didn't break down fat fast enough to feed me. I eat meat ,whole grains,veggies and some bread and work out 5 days a week.my bmi is in the 20s and my doctor says I am in the top 5 %of my age group ,I am 71 and feel great.quit taking satins years ago.can't eat that much fat or feel like carp.
Jeffry
I'm on the LCHF life style...my question regards Saturated fats...High Fat will require higher then normal saturated fats....I don't see any mention of saturated fats...I generally have a ratio of 1/6 saturated fats to Total fats
Lindsey
May I please ask regarding Omega 6, I take Evening Primrose Oil and have just had my cholesterol tested and my LDL was 4.8mmol/L (Total was 7.8, Trig 1.4, HDL 2.4 & Non HDL 5.4), have been LCHF for 4 months now. Should I be concerned and should I stop using EPO due to it being a form of Omega 6?
Thank you so much for your blog and this article
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Here are two useful articles to read, this one and this one on the type of Omega 6 found in EPO. "GLA is found in several plant-based oils, including evening primrose oil (EPO), borage oil, and black currant seed oil.
GLA may actually reduce inflammation. Much of the GLA taken as a supplement is converted to a substance called DGLA that fights inflammation. Having enough of certain nutrients in the body (including magnesium, zinc, and vitamins C, B3, and B6) helps promote the conversion of GLA to DGLA."
Lindsey
Thank you for replying, those articles were very informative.
Ariella
Hello, I would love to start this diet. Is there anyone who has problems with their kidneys on this diet?
Thank you!
Will
Thanks Libby for a great web site and blog. I've always done the standard lipid tests and since I've been on statins for 10 years (finally quit) they've always been OK and great after I got on LCHF. When I go back and he sees higher LDL (maybe) but higher HDL as well he will ask and I will tell him I quit the statins and am not concerned with the standard numbers. I am more concerned with the LDL particles. He may not be on board. Do I look for another doctor? Not too many follow this way of thinking. Your thoughts?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
That's entirely up to you. I love my doctor because she understands what I do and is supportive. She also understands LCHF. With any medical professional you use, you must trust them to give advice for your situation. I hope that helps. Some doctors are fabulous and they get a bad rap for not being up to date, but I have many friends who are dr's and they just aren't taught this kind of thing so have to go with the current guidelines but in the background are actually researching it privately until they feel ready to switch.
Red H Stepson
Interesting read, trying to learn more. I have been on LCHF for a while now and am in weight maintenance mode, exercise regularly (about 1 hr a day - 30 min light/30 min heavy) and am in good shape (for a 63 year old). Just finished 10 weeks of radiation treatment (LCHF supposedly helps starve cancer as well) so not sure if that has any impact. Had my blood tests done for my physical and my total cholesterol was 286 but my HDL was 83, which is good. Triglycerides are at 91 and total Chol/HDL ratio is 3.4. Doctor was torn but decided to keep me off of statins for now as except for the total everything seems good. Resting HR at 48 to 50.
I have Coconut oil as well as MCT oil in coffee a couple time a day - just wondering if you think that alone is enough to reduce the total number or I should cut back on eggs, etc. - I go through about a dozen a week.
Thanks,
Red
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Hi Red, I can't give advice but many heart associations around the world are lifting their restriction on eggs. If your doctor is happy and you have only just begun LCHF and had fantastic results, then the next set of tests might be looking even better! Well done.
Don
What is important is trig/hdl, if trig is low and hdl is high then that's good.
Stephanie Marie
Follow Dr. Esselstyn from Cleveland Clinic. Heart disease is his specialty for over 40 years. No oil, no nuts, no high fat foods just whole foods. No animal foods. Whole food plant based eating has enough fats, proteins and all your macro and micro nutrients that our body needs. Its so opposite from a lot of other doctors but he has had 1000's of patients. He has gotten patients who were sent home to die because of heart disease able to bounce back. Not true of everyone but its worth it to read the science behind this way of eating. Look into just to see what he has to say. Its a lifestyle not a diet!! Also Dr. Caldwell, Dr. Gregor, Dr. Colin Campbell, Dr. Kim Williams former president of the American College of Cardiology, Angie Sadeghi, Dr. A McDougall, Dr. Dean Ornish. The China study, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Brooke Goldner, Dr. Michael Klaper...... all scientific researched proof with 100's of years experience! 1000's pf patients who are dooing well. Its a behavioral change that people dont want to make!
Gloria
This is very helpful but I am now a little confused - this is not a criticism, just would like some clarification.
I thought the Type A LDL "fluffy particles" were what we would aim for. In 'What The Fat?" Professor Schofield, on p277, "When your triglycerides increase, harmless ApoA decreases..." and again on p278, Figure 11: "How to predict the small, dense, harmful (ApoB) and large, bouyant, benign (ApoA) LDL particles from the fasting triglycerides your doctor measures."
In #4 above you say, "Type A LDL are large fluffy particles that “looks like a cotton ball and does as much damage”.
So are we talking about the same thing here? I am assuming when you call them Type A and B, that you are meaning ApoA and ApoB - is that correct please?
If we are talking about the same thing, then which one is correct - are the ApoA (the fluffy particles) harmFUL or HarmLESS?
Thank you so much for all the work you are doing on this site to help inform people like myself who find all the terminology around health/medicine quite difficult to understand.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Type A LDL are the large fluffy particles we should aim for. There are two types of LDL. LDLa is large and fluffy, LDLb is oxidised and dangerous. So yes we need to aim for LDLa which are large and fluffy.
ApoA and ApoB are the surface proteins on HDL or LDL. Prof Schofield states "harmless ApoA" in your quote above and again "large, buoyant, benign ApoA". Remember we want low triglycerides.
I cannot do these intricacies justice here, so look at Peter Attia, MD who is an absolute expert on cholesterol and its carriers. Another one to look at is the structure and classifications.
MARISE JONES
So Interesting ,However I have a condition where my blood glucose have always been perfect but my insulin blood level vey high (13 ) I was getting all the signs of Diabetes but the doctors kept checking the sugar level and telling me that I did not have diabetes. Eventually I requested a fasting insulin blood test
and discovered that my level was 8 that was a year ago and now it is 13. I wish I could get clarity on what I could do to lower my insulin level. I have been off sugar for years and eat very little carbs.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
This is exactly what Dr Joseph Kraft has been studying for decades. Insulin resistance may be present for a decade or more before it is reflected in a glucose tolerance test. Follow the Fat Emperor who has written on the genius of Dr Kraft , and Catherine Crofts, a NZ pharmacist who completed her PhD on hyperinsulinameia. You may wish to read Dr Kraft's book also. Well done on being one of the very few who has managed to understand this and be tested.
KJP
Hi
I find this intriguing. I come from a family of hypercholesterolaemics. My grandfather died at 36 from MI. My mother was then diagnosed with high cholesterol in her early 20s around the time all of the low fat heart disease research was being released. Naturally she went straight for this and when I was 10 I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and started on a statin- And have been taking one or another for the past 25 years. In each generation one sibling is affected and the other is not. My mother had an MI at 49 despite being active and maintaining normal BMI her whole life but eating the "healthy low fat diet"
I have been obese nearly my whole adult life. I recently had gastric sleeve surgery. Through this surgery I have learnt more about the propaganda of low fat diets and now follow low carb high fat. My triglycerides have normalised but LDL remains elevated even with the statin.
I was wondering if you have any research on patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia who have used LCHF and stopped statins given the side effects? Do you know of any specialists in Western Australia who deal with these issues as my GP does not want me to cease the statin.
Thank you for your site- it is completely changing my perspective on health and hopefully for my children things will be different
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
A great website to read is Gary Fettle "No More Fructose" who is in Australia and may be able to help with a practitioner he can recommend. Another is Dr Peter Attia who is the absolute fountain of knowledge for all things cholesterol related. He has some great lectures to watch and covers every topic imaginable.
Those websites, in particular, will keep you busy for quite some time, and are invaluable to understand, and will help you in making properly informed decisions.
Rhonda Strange
Great Book on all this is called "Cholesterol Clarity"
Dick Muller
Approximately what would be the "low" cholesterol level that one could consider potentially problematic? 12 months ago I weighed 137Kg, with total random cholesterol reading 6.9mmol. Now I eat only #LCHF, weigh 110Kg and the cholesterol reading (again AccuCheck meter) is down to 4.5 So much for eggs, butter and cheese being deadly.
Pete Cram
//Type A LDL are large fluffy particles that “looks like a cotton ball and does as much damage”.//
Don't you mean HDL here??? Thanks
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
No large fluffy LDL. Take a look at this article "large, fluffy LDL (Pattern A) that appears to have no potential to cause atherosclerosis - and small dense LDL (Pattern B) - strongly associated with arterial plaques and increased risk of heart disease". And also this article, but best of all is Peter Attia who has an incredibly detailed version of my bullet point post. I always like to acknowledge these people are the experts, and can explain and understand what is such an incredibly complicated subject.
Martin
Finely put . =]