3 ms·

Here's a related theory: People who consume a significant amount of fat tend to become overweight/obese because they also overconsume carbohydrates (and protein

Here's a related theory: People who consume a significant amount of fat tend to become overweight/obese because they also overconsume carbohydrates (and protein), which spikes blood insulin and causes the dietary fat to be stored as adipose tissue. People with a lot of adipose tissue have higher levels of cholesterol, a hormone manufactured by the body to manage its fat stores (among many other things). So in this scenario, is it eating saturated dietary fat which causes unhealthy levels of cholesterol in the blood? Or is it because the person's diet has caused them to become overweight/obese and therefore the body's cholesterol levels have increased as a result? In my own experience, I lost 20% of my body weight (57 lbs) by eating a high fat low-carb diet, supplemented by intermittent fasting. I was on statins (cholesterol medication) and an ARB (for hypertension), and was able to stop taking these meds 18 months after losing the weight. There are lots of reasons to avoid saturated oils/fat. I think it's misleading and overly simplistic to say or imply that dietary fat leads to high cholesterol. https://peterattiamd.com/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-part-i/ https://peterattiamd.com/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-pa...

epalmer 9y ago
I have lost ~50 lbs on a keto diet. I test for ketones almost daily and only fall out of keto 1 out of 10 days or so. My blood chemistry is better than it ever has been. My A1C is great. My LDL and VLDL are very low. I eat saturated fat and olive oil. I eat fish 2 or more times a week. Some white fish (cod) but mostly salmon and a little tuna. I have more weight to lose, maybe another 40 lbs. I was trending towards metabolic syndrome before keto. I exercise for 40 to 50 mins a day, 5 days a week. Strength training walking and more. Since going keto (2 years ago) I have had no colds, no ear infections, no sinus infections. I have had the flu once. That is it. I used to get a lot of ear infections and colds and more. Several times a year. I have heart disease. I had 4-way bypass more than 10 years ago. I take a statin and aspirin. I am under two doctors care, a primary and a cardiologist. They support my keto diet. My primary says my systemic level of infection is very low resulting in less sickness. I am a sample size of one so take that for what it is worth.
cageface 9y ago
Losing weight, no matter how you do it, will lower your cholesterol and improve your overall health. And reducing your overall calorie intake also has a lot of benefits. That’s why people can report good results from a lot of different kinds of diets. But the causal link between saturated fat consumption and blood cholesterol levels is very well established. See my earlier comments for links. There are a lot of people out there with very questionable agendas out there trying to confuse people on this issue.

epalmer 9y ago

I have lost ~50 lbs on a keto diet. I test for ketones almost daily and only fall out of keto 1 out of 10 days or so. My blood chemistry is better than it ever has been. My A1C is great. My LDL and VLDL are very low. I eat saturated fat and olive oil. I eat fish 2 or more times a week. Some white fish (cod) but mostly salmon and a little tuna. I have more weight to lose, maybe another 40 lbs. I was trending towards metabolic syndrome before keto. I exercise for 40 to 50 mins a day, 5 days a week. Strength training walking and more. Since going keto (2 years ago) I have had no colds, no ear infections, no sinus infections. I have had the flu once. That is it. I used to get a lot of ear infections and colds and more. Several times a year. I have heart disease. I had 4-way bypass more than 10 years ago. I take a statin and aspirin. I am under two doctors care, a primary and a cardiologist. They support my keto diet. My primary says my systemic level of infection is very low resulting in less sickness. I am a sample size of one so take that for what it is worth.

cageface 9y ago

Losing weight, no matter how you do it, will lower your cholesterol and improve your overall health. And reducing your overall calorie intake also has a lot of benefits. That’s why people can report good results from a lot of different kinds of diets. But the causal link between saturated fat consumption and blood cholesterol levels is very well established. See my earlier comments for links. There are a lot of people out there with very questionable agendas out there trying to confuse people on this issue.