Keto Diet and Cholesterol 4/4

[jginorio]

Hello:
I'm a 4/4 who recently started the keto diet. However, I just received lab results and my cholesterol level increased significantly (which I expected). I would greatly appreciate any recommendation on how to keep cholesterol in check while on the keto diet.

Thanks in advance,

Gino

[TheresaB]

I'm a 4/4 who recently started the keto diet. However, I just received lab results and my cholesterol level increased significantly (which I expected). I would greatly appreciate any recommendation on how to keep cholesterol in check while on the keto diet.

Your cholesterol level, which cholesterol level? LDL? LDL going up on keto is not unusual and not necessarily a bad thing as explained in this video: Dr. Nadir Ali - 'Why LDL cholesterol goes up with low carb diet and is it bad for health?'

When I went keto all my important lipid markers went the right way - HDL went up, Triglycerides when down. I do have to work at oxidized LDL, but my doctor ignores my LDL and so do I.

[jginorio]

Theresa:
Thanks for your response..In my case, HDL went down and everything else went up...not sure what's going on.....

[SusanJ]

In my case, HDL went down and everything else went up...not sure what's going on.....

Do you eat a lot of saturated fats? (Coconut milk, dairy, fatty meats) They always raise my numbers pretty drastically.

[grommet]

Gino, make sure you're measuring LDL-P (particle count) and not just LDL-C which is part of the standard lipid blood test. A high total reading and/or LDL-C reading isn't necessary bad, but a high particle number (> 1000) is. The test is worth the extra cost.

That said, for me anyway, LDL-C and LDL-P correlate, and in fact were both very high when I was on a Keto diet. I fixed the issue (and it's an issue!) by eliminating most sources of saturated fat and started to eat way more fiber (veggies, fruit, whole grains). My LDL-P went from over 2000 to under 700. You can do the same!

Edit: Source: https://peterattiamd.com/the-straight-d ... l-part-vi/

[beebo]

Hi Dan,

whole grains

Can you give examples? I used to eat oatmeal every morning (good for heart and cholesterol), but stopped since it's high in carbs. I genuinely miss it. What kind of grains do you consume?

[circular]

Hi Dan,

whole grains

Can you give examples? I used to eat oatmeal every morning (good for heart and cholesterol), but stopped since it's high in carbs. I genuinely miss it. What kind of grains do you consume?

Have you tried excercising before eating oatmeal to see if your blood sugar respose is modified favorably?

[beebo]

Have you tried excercising before eating oatmeal to see if your blood sugar respose is modified favorably?

I only just purchased a blood glucose monitor yesterday. I don’t know yet what my levels should be or when to measure... still learning.

[grommet]

Hi Dan,

whole grains

Can you give examples? I used to eat oatmeal every morning (good for heart and cholesterol), but stopped since it's high in carbs. I genuinely miss it. What kind of grains do you consume?

The usual suspects, including steel cut oatmeal. Are you avoiding carbs because of weight management or blood glucose reasons? If it's weight, I was gaining weight hand over fist before I started tracking my calories using Cronometer. It turned out I was just plain overeating. Oatmeal is SO easy to overeat since it's so dang delicious! For reference, about 50% of my calories come from complex carbs, 15% protein, and 35% fat.

That said, I limit my whole grains to 3x a day. A single slice of whole grain bread or 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal count as 1 serving.