Same here....but I was already aware that I'm a lean mass hyper-responder, and this would be normal and healthy for me. I do my own research, thank goodness.
I’m in this boat, TC: 300+, TG: 73, HDL: 80+, LDL: 200+, CAC: 0. Low carb, competitive Oly weightlifter, weekly zone 2, consistent weekly rower. VO2 Max 40+, 50yrs I added 100g carbs and saw a reduction in LDL, lower LDL when added 150-200g carbs. I feel better on low carb, high protein and higher fat.
@@TomHaile Sounds fantastic what you are doing! I have added in some carbs and lowered LDL too. I do all the same things you do, exercise wise and that is what counts really in the long run.
@@joybecker2335 I added carbs (sweet potatoes and butternut squash) and tested cholesterol using a home kit week to week and more carbs resulted in lower LDL. I tested 150g a day to 200g.
This is me!My cholesterol is off the chart, however my triglycerides are non existent.Doctor was very concerned with my cholesterol, also said it was the lowest triglycerides she has ever seen.Im 67 year old male, carnivore.
Very skinny, very low triglycerides in the 50s, very high HDL of 112 or more, LDL of 150 or more and consistent over time. Seems to be high HDL in both parents and no heart disease. Dad died at almost 91, Mom is very healthy at 86. She was told last year that they had never seen such a high HDL in an elderly person. Hers was 120 and she is quite thin. She does not restrict carbs.
I just got my LIPID panel results. I’m 56. My total cholesterol is 241. I’m female, weigh 159. Dr is “concerned”, even though my TRIS are 83 and my HDL is 74, which is STELLAR!! I asked for an advanced lipid panel and my Dr refused. I then asked for a CAC test, again she declined. I absolutely will NOT take statins!! I walk for 45 minutes 5 days per week, I mow my own lawn, am active, eat healthy foods only, no processed foods, ever!! I feel 25. Very low carbs. No sugar (except for berries). I look amazing! My waist is 28 inches. LOL I AM GOOD!! Oh, and my BP is 90/72. 😊
56, male - mirror image of you. Doc has been trying to put me on statin's for a few years. Just exercise. Eat 0 sugar. Bread only perhaps 1x a month as a treat. Little to no carbs except for a small amount of low gycemic index fruit each day. Never eat processed food. Stick to meat and vegatables, and eggs. I only use my doc to get access to labs - which I interrept myself based on my own research. Short of some catestrophic disease or injury - you are your own best doc.
@@greggapowell67 Now you also know how to rev up your ldl-c and make your doc crap their pants [(c) Ken Berry] and send to you to cimt, msct, echo, whatever - to make sure you won't die the very next minute from mi or stroke at their doorstep. And that's all insurable ;)
@@greggapowell67 I agree!! My sister takes statins and she is always sick, it causes other problems. She won’t get off them because her dr told her she will die if she gets off them, which is BS!!!
Perfect timing! My husband had blood drawn recently. He had switched to a carnivore diet after being on a low-carb, zero processed food diet for 7 years. His triglycerides had cut by a 3rd from 90 to 60 his ldl went up from 60 to 90. His doctor panicked and wanted him on statins, despite the fact his overall cholesterol was 190...I told the dude no thanks 😂 I'm going to send his office this video link...
Thank you so much for covering our research, Mike. As you know, it's been a long journey... but I can definitely see the LEM really picking up speed now. We hope to have a number of upcoming experiments to better test key components mechanistically.
@realDaveFeldman Please help me understand why your high-fat diet experiment made your LDL cholesterol tank. How much animal fat does your regular diet contain?
I gave up on tracking cholesterol about 4 years ago when I went low carb. I've never felt better and I'm never going back. Thanks for all of your coverage of the latest science!
Same thing happened, went low carb, LDL went up 180, triglycerides down to 50, HDL up to 70, total cholesterol 280, lean athletic feeling great. Before this my total cholesterol was always about 180, and I didn't feel as good as I do now. I'll keep my higher healthy cholesterol !
My doctor attempted to push me on statins because of high cholestrol...despite my being a very lean, muscular, athletic 70 old...I declined...citing my triglyceride to HDL ratio of 0.5, i.e., indicating very low inflammation etc. None of the attending doctors seemed to have any knowledge or, at least, appreciation for this key marker of heart health and (low) inflammation. And when I asked for the breakdown of the lipid panel as to type of LDL I was told, 'Oh, we don't do that'.
What's you apoB--if that's high, you've got problems. HDL is not causally related to heart disease (they figured that out over a decade ago, so TG to HDL levels don't make sense).
@@karlwheatley1244 If LDL is high then APOB is high, and yeah, when there are more small particles then APOB will be relatively higher. The TG to HDL ration is a good indirect indicator for insuline sensitivity (but do your own research on this ratio). In practice people with CVD tend to have high triglycerides and low HDL.
@@LewisDrakePhD "Get a CAC Scoring test to prove your cardiovascular health is OK" Uhh, that DOESN'T prove your cardiovascular health is OK. In western countries such as America, almost everyone has early signs of developing heart disease by age 8, but most men have CAC scores of zero until their 40s and most women into their 60s. People can have lots and lots of soft plaque in their arteries and still have CAC scores of zero.
Went carnivore, lost 63Lbs. Have always been athletic, and still lift heavy. I’m 61, 5’8” approx 154Lbs now. LDL went thru the roof, A1C went down to 5.4, HDL/Tris was optimal. Doc said statins, I said no. Do a CAC if worried. He said unless I take a statin he won’t do any other tests. I’m good with that. I will not be bullied, obvs he’s not really concerned.
@@HegelsOwlimagine spending years studying and training to be a doctor only to parrot ‘guidelines’ curated by bought-and-paid-for regulators, and never to actually make anyone healthier ever again.
@@chrisburton3571 If you are obese there is a plethora of things u should be focusing on instead of that. like what garbage you are stuffing down your face.
Great video Mike. I loved when at 17:41 you said "if you are really worried about your LDL, you can ask your doctor for a statin and I am sure Peter Attia would agree with that" 😅. I love the latest research on LDL and the work done by Dave Feldman as well to help us understand this marker, which as you said, when all your risk markers are improving, one isolated one should not be a cause of concern. The latest OREO experiment I feel is sending a clear message to the medical community showing how that isolated and considered risky marker can be reduced by following an unhealthy carbohydrate diet. Maybe LDL is not so bad after all. Maybe one day they will recognize it.
Huge THANK YOU for adding a little more clarity and insight to this contentious issue. There is so much conflicting info, even from the best intentioned folks, let alone those driven by questionable motives. Most of us are just trying to wade through the BS and make good decisions for our health. Thanks for helping with that!
My BMI is 20.2, waist circumference 28”, low body fat, workout 🏋🏼♀️ 4x a week ….. and I’m 67 yes old. LDL is 168 HDL 105 Triglycerides 40 According to new studies on long lived people, it looks like LDL is protective!
Have been very low carb/keto for 1 year. What started off as a way to help heal from IBS and autoimmune issues turned into a way of life for me. I dropped the menopause weight that had crept on the year before, healed my gut (no more chronic diarrhea🙌), gallbladder and feel so much better. My insulin and C peptide are low, tris high and HDL low but the only thing my doc ever mentions is the raise in Cholesterol and LDL that has happened. I was worried at first but after watching a lot of great videos, like this one, I’m not so worried anymore and will keep doing what I know my body loves!
I'm 59 and I haven't been to a 'white coat doc' since 2010. I'm a health coach (nutrition,strength,flex,detox,age well) for 22 years....I would NEVER go to a 'doc' for a health checkup... it's laughable.
I LITERALLY had this discussion about my lab LDL bloodwork this year vs last year at my physical this morning!! I said I was eating less carbs, more meat, and running/exercise more (but hardly excessively.) All my ratios are fantastic as well. She was like can’t you eat less meat? to which I responded - I’m not doing that. My hdl, triglycerides, etc were perfect. No genetic predispositions to coronary diseases etc either.
I know 2 co-workers. Super skinny, both from China, eating very healthy. They both have super high cholesterol levels. Based on their situation, I start to think that cholesterol is not necessarily a bad thing. The high cholesterol is probably there to compensate their low body fat in order for their body to function properly.
I was just looking for videos like this, had some labs yesterday that showed some high cholesterol, even though I'm very lean right now. I've been under eating from being lazy with cooking, and most of what I've been eating in the days before my lab was meat/eggs/dairy. Was encouraged to do a "Heart Healthy Diet", but was fairly familiar with the fact that LDL isn't a great indicator in cases like mine. I'll keep up with what I'm doing, and if my doctor bothers me about it, I'll try putting forward this study.
When I went low carb, triglycerides went way, way down and HDL went up. Total cholesterol is a bit high so am pondering how to handle the PCP. She thinks it is too early for statins, thank goodness.
There is no good reason to take statins. The drug companies quote *relative* risk reduction (of heart attack etc) and not *absolute* risk reduction. So, for eg, if my risk of having a heart attack is 2% before taking a statin, and 1% after taking a statin, the drug companies will say that my risk of having a heart attack has been reduced by 50%. In reality, it has been reduced by 1%. The absolute risk reduction figures are miniscule . Also, statins are implicated in many negative health outcomes - diabetes to name just one.
You see the oreo study? Who needs a statin when they can use a pack of oreos if really worried about cholesterol. I'm happy sitting at over 200 on low carb 😊
@@amfohrit is each person's individual body that functions differently. We are not all the same cut with a cookie cutter pattern and doctors should not treat us as such. Oreos can kill you yet make you have good readings on doctors tests. Does that make sense?
So basically if you are fat adapted and using fat for fuel, LDL will increase as required by the body, and as in the Havard study you could drop this LDL back down by eating sugary biscuits OR statins. So this LDL stuff looks like a nothing burger just to flog statins.
BUT, the increase only occurred in people who were on a no/low carb diet. One of the likely reasons is there was very likely an increase in the consumption of animal protein to compensate for calories/energy. BTW, I’m a fan of animal protein. However, I understand the importance of carbs.
This happened to me when I had my values drawn 2 years ago. I am 6’1 with 19BMI. LDL higher than ‘normal’, but Trigs and vLDL was low and HDL was high. Funny, I was already going in for a blood draw tomorrow and I expect the same. Glad I caught this video.
This confirms my since long time theory that these lipids is just a fat/energy transportation system. With less glucose in the blood stream you need to transport more triglycerides and cholesterol so the LDL is needed for that. If you have plenty of fat deposits you will start to burn off that fat turning it in to ketones so you would expect less increase in LDL. Pure logic!
Such great information once again. I would love to hear how your mom's doing she's around my age. I'm wondering if you could do a follow-up video on her.😊
I was pretty worried about the VLDL. I got bloodwork done when I was doing True OMAD diet with only meat and veggies like kale and avocado. I had been keto for about 4 months. Started out not fasting, went from 16/8 down to 2 meals a day, eventually ended up doing 1 meal. I was around 10%bf. Pretty lean and very muscular. My HDL was low, LDL was high, triglyceride were high and VLDL was also very high. So was my cholesterol particularly count. I had no answers for that.
New, now past, doc wanted me on a statin for 6.7 LDL (250). The rest of my blood test showed everything within parameters. Am my right weight and zero carb but she didn’t know any of this research. How many just blindly take meds when not needed?
My body fat percentage has been around 10 % for past two decades, at least. I never experienced high LDL with my carb-based diet (rice, pasta, no-sugar-added breads) and vigorous exercises. Eat polysaccharides, minimize disaccharides!
This is also what anabolics that have fat burning properties, like Anavar and Masteron also increase LDL. Many BBs freak out about their LDL while taking these.
So, BMI 29.9, 73 year old female, fasting glucose 84, on keto/low carb 3 years (mostly), exercise regularly, and I have a triad profile! Not lean but LDL 188, Trig 62, HDL75. Any one else like this? Luckily, my MD is ok with this and no pressure to take statins and she is supportive of keto.
I've heard of people on Keto lower their LDL by cutting added oils, and lowering their Sat fat intake as much as possible.. Unfortunately food is going to taste like cardboard with spices, unless you are okay mentally with your numbers.
@Drgluee there was a lecture on YT by Paul Mason where he claims that dietary cholesterol has no affect on blood cholesterol. (don't know if it's true). Cutting down on oils and fats means you will have to add something else to keep your calories? More protein/carbs might not be a good idea for keto. Also oils (olive, macadamia) have no cholesterol? What I understood - LDL goes up because we use fat as primal energy source in absence of sugars so more of it is produced by liver for energy. And if a person is lean and exercise, more of it is produced to keep them going?
@@universanima I never mentioned dietary cholesterol, but dietary does boost it temporarily and won't hurt you in the long run as long as it isn't constant intake. But, yes LDL and Tris can go up if fat is the primary energy source. Exercising regularly can reduce the numbers, the only issue is, it isn't universal. Fortunately for me, increasing my exercise time and intensity does lower my LDL and tris quite a bit, but other people may not have the same level of benefits..
I've never put much value in the BMI chart because it's just height and weight. Muscle is heavier than fat per amount. Two people can have a weight of 150 lbs and height of 5' 5", but one be fat and one be lean. Am I missing another chart or way of measuring that takes this into account? I'm 20 BMI, but I don't believe that reflects my health.
So I'm 5'11'' 170 lbs athletic frame and was on a moderate protein and maybe 200-300 gram carbohydrate diet in the form of mostly healthy carbs and my vLDL was around 16 and LDL was about 139. I went low carb and upped my protein intake with healthy organic meats with all meat coming from grass fed cattle from a local farm along with pork and organic chicken. In the process my body composition began to change slightly over the next several months. Clothing fit the same, but the scale increased to 175 lbs along with gaining more definition around my core due to fat loss. In fact, I'm a little more chiseled all around and probably look the best aesthetically than I ever have in my life. I currently have a sprinter's physique and many are blown away that I'm 48 and surprisingly walking a ton and 2-3 15-20 min workouts a week focusing on varied pushups, pullups and hexbar deadlifts have gotten me to this point...simply put it's been MUCH easier than expected. It feels as if I've done nothing and yet my body has changed drastically. But, love story short, going low carb my vLDL graduallly went up to as high as 44 from 16. My LDL went up from 139 to 165ish. Also, I should note, before my triglycerides would be around 80-90 but during this low carb journey it did go up to 140-170ish. I'm guessing the increased saturated fat might be the cause? Interesting though seeing that I appear to align with this video presentation with regard to LMHR. Anyway, great vid.
But, you’re overlooking the increased intake of animal protein (with fat) and how that impacts your numbers. Regardless of how healthy the animal ate, it still has fat and increased intake will play a role. I suspect the control groups for the data traded carbs for increased animal protein. That has to be factored into the equation.
The message for me is if it doesn’t hurt you then adding a few healthy carbs is a good idea. Nobody knows if high LDL in this group is dangerous or not. You can lower visceral fat blood sugar body fat and inflammation on a carb inclusive diet. It’s all about the calories. Low carb and fast weight loss depresses you thyroid and that slows LDL clearance. Nick’s studies show this thyroid effect.
My TC is 222, and LDL-C is 146..I am not worried about my TC and LDL, because what really predicts heart disease is the triglyceride and HDL levels and their ratio--which indirectly measures your level of insulin resistance or risk of heart attack or stroke. Despite my elevated TC and LDL-C, my Triglycerides are 66 and my HDL is 64. So my TG/HDL ratio is a very heart healthy 1.03, which signals insulin sensitivity or no insulin resistance. Thats why I dont care how high my TC or LDL levels are, your TG/HDL ratio counts the most and the best way the predict heart disease. Have a great day all. 😊
Of course we need to figure this anomaly out. It’s obvious to me that it is due to a dietary difference. What kind of fats and proteins are the high LDL group consuming? Are they no carb at all?, are they low carb but low fibre carb? Are they nutrient timing differently?
Wow so glad I found your video My LDL is 201 and my HDL is 113 my triglycerides 59. My A1c 5.4 Exercise weight lifting and cardio my doctor wants me to take drug for cholesterol
I’m 5’4, and weigh 162. I’m all muscle. My waist is 27 inches. My Dr wants me to lose 17 pounds. It’s ridiculous!! I use to be 145 and everyone use to ask me if I was OK. I looked sickly!!
Ugh, it seems obvious. When your using fat for fuel, your body needs more means of mobilizing it, more LDL. When your taking in high exogenous cholesterol and high carb you get the toxic, unnatural, mix. Our bodies were built experiencing seasons, unmolested fruits and minimal unprocessed grains, with fruit and feasting in the fall and summer and copious meat, fat and fasting in the winter and spring. We're trying to do it all all the time.
Lost 20 Kg in the past 2 years and I feel at my best physically and MENTALLY on a low carb diet and since then my LDL is higher. Some docs have wanted me to start medication but I refuse as all other factors are perfect. My current doctor “blames” the diet and my “thick” hemoglobin and iron rich blood on this high-ish number.
A majority of life insurance companies will not write a policy for anyone over a certain LDL threshold. Beyond a fast and avoidance of exercise before bloodwork, is there anything that a LMHR individual can do that may temporarily drop LDL?
Yes, the oreo study showed that by adding in more carbs will lower LDL. The study used oreos so it had a "clickbait" quality to gain as much attention as they could to this phenotype, but it was also stated that the same result of lowering LDL could be achieved by eating bananas.
Eat carbs for a week, don’t fast, don’t exercise. I lost my insurance because I got my bloods done mid keto weight loss and the day after a sprint run. Lipids were mad.
BMI 16, as LMHR, what I do to make my primary doctor happy is to eat more Quinoa for 2 weeks before my blood work, and this decreases my LDL to a less alarming range (still elevated though) 😂
My question is whether the keto diet itself might not be solely responsible for the spike in cholesterol levels that some people experience when they begin this diet. It's possible that the increase in LDL cholesterol is more attributed to the higher intake of saturated fats, which often accompanies a keto diet. By replacing some of these saturated fats with other options like olive oil and including fiber-rich foods such as avocados, you can potentially mitigate this rise in LDL cholesterol.
My total c is 349/ ldl 281/ HDL 47/ triglycerides 51. 2 years ago it was 203/143/56/98x glucose down to 80. Was 105. A1c 4.9 was 5.1. 8 weeks on carnivore. Down 30 lbs. bp normalized . Skin disorders cleared up
That’s cool. But let’s not overlook the central question … are we certain this isn’t still harmful? One can achieve all of these benefits while maintaining a moderate to high carb diet.
It would be nice if any of these things anywhere looked at people with a higher BMI but low body fat... To get to a "normal" BMI, I'd have to have a limb amputated or something.
I went into a carnovre diet and this is my latest test results: LDL: 344 HDL: 126 Triglycerides: 113 My triglycerides for whatever reason increased and my testosterone decreased dramatically even though I feel great... Is there an explanation?
How lean is lean? Im female. My BMI is 27.4 but my DEXA scan says 20.3% body fat. LDL 146, HDL 70, triglycerides 45mg/dl. I'm not exactly low carb though.
Flush niacin is a very helpful tool 💥 Day 5 of NMN, it becomes incredible on the fourth consecutive day 💥 497 days no alcohol 🥇 More blessed and grateful than ever before 💫 🏆 I work in a supplement store and it’s next to a cat store 🏬 ❤️
The problem with the study is that severe exercise will raise LDL especially if your exercise is in the top 5 per cent and severe low carb even at bmi 31.
Although my crummy GP is still trying to shove ozempic on me, at least she is not worried about LDL going from 100 to 125. Trigs 45. Anyways keep it up. Doctors are trash at nutrition and prevention. Garbage
I did when I got to 14.8% at 109 lbs. I'm 5' 2.75" (tiny but mighty)... that was in 2002 and I never lost my cycle then because I was healthy and didn't do anything dangerous to make my cycle irregular. ;) ;) Now at 59, my happy weight easily maintained is 115 (flucs 3 lbs. either way depending on summer/winter) :D
Thank you so much for presenting this study. I might be LMHR with LDL of 223, trig 88, and HDL 61? My doctor wants me to consider changing my diet I eat meat, eggs, dairy, fruits and honey. That’s like 90% what I eat and my testosterone increased 250ng/dL too. I think the cholesterol increase might be correlated to the testosterone?
Yup, my LDL is 250 when doing keto. I have 10-14% BF and 20.5 BMI. Im a bit worry, but decide to not take statin. We need more studies about this. CMIIW, as I know people who live long (80++ yo), tend to have high cholesterol. So maybe Cholesterol indicate protective mechanism in niece case???
There is such thing as healthy and over weight. One prime example is a pregnant woman. I stressed to my wife that she needed to gain weight the healthy way. Why? Because she needs reserves just in case she gets sick or needs to breast feed more often etc. An over weight person can out fast a sickness or famine. A lean person will come close to or actually die.
Not necessarily... I remember a study on prison camp survivors that surprisingly found that those with lean body mass fared better overall than those who started with obesity. The implication was that metabolic health offered some protection in that extreme (horrific) environment. You have me curious now to go find that study again....
BTW, not arguing with your pregnancy contention (babies need those fat stores, too). Just raising thoughts on starvation situations. Which hopefully none of us will personally have to test!
@@rhshrimpton Hopefully not, but what would be the difference? If it's healthy for a pregnant woman and her child why wouldn't it be healthy for anyone else? I would argue the type of fat one stores on his or her body has a lot to do with it. I'm just trying to induce thoughts on this logical hypothesis.
