As you begin to study what a high-fat ketogenic diet appears like, your mind is probably reeling with tales of elevated cholesterol, heart attacks, obstructed arteries, and near-death experiences…
WHAT THE HDL IS WRONG WITH MY NUMBERS?
Well, I’m here to confirm to you this is a frequent misconception which all stems from very faulty research, the”Diet-Heart Hypothesis” published in the 1950s by Ancel Keys, who found a very weak correlation between heart disease and fat.
At the time, several studies demonstrated that when eating a typical diet and increasing intake of fat, total cholesterol levels consumed; however, there was no link discovered and published that related this to cardiovascular disease.
For over 50 years, we have been taught that putting any form of fat (especially saturated fat) into our mouths can induce our cholesterol to rise. This dogma is so ingrained in our heads and cultures that I bet you’re feeling a bit emotional at the notion of ingesting more bacon, butter, or with tallow (pure animal fat) to cook with.
Much research has been completed since then, in addition to countless instances in patients of physicians recommending a ketogenic diet, that shows when you have a low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat diet, HDL cholesterol (the fantastic kind) goes up, triglycerides come way down and LDL cholesterol particles shift from the harmful small, dense type to the much more benign big, fluffy kind. Keto triumph!
Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist, and author of Wheat Belly Blog discusses in length about the consequences that eating plenty of”healthy whole grains” has on our cholesterol showing an astonishing excess of this harmful LDL”bad” cholesterol in these people. Compared to those individuals who eliminate”healthy whole grains” and sugars out of their diet, raising their fat consumption and appreciating the healthy metabolic condition of nutritional ketosis have demonstrated a remarkable reduction, even entire elimination, of the dense and harmful LDL cholesterol particles.
To begin with, make buddies with cholesterol, so it’s not your enemy. In fact, without it, we’d perish. The part it plays would be Crucial for most essential bodily functions;
HERE’S THE DOWN-LOW ON CHOLESTEROL
- It’s required to make sex hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and DHEA.
- It transports nutrients into the brain to shield from dementia.
- It repairs damaged cells and preserves the integrity of this cell to prolong life.
- It preserves the integrity of the intestinal tract.
- It assists with serotonin receptor shooting, which is critical for feeling joyful.
- It assists with vitamin D uptake, which is vital for healthy nerves, bones, muscle building, insulin production, fertility, and also a powerful immune system.
Cholesterol also has an important part in combating systemic inflammation without sufficient amounts, inflammation is made to do its things with very little working. Once left to run wild, excess inflammation within your system makes it more prone to disease. Frequent circumstances where inflammation is often at the root cause are;
- Total body pain
- Asthma
- Gall bladder disorder
- Allergies
- ADD/ADHD
- Psoriasis
- Heart disorder
- Diabetes
- Migraines
- Dental problems and a Lot More
DE-BUNKING FATS BAD RAP ON CHOLESTEROL
When we consume more cholesterol, we produce less in our body and vice versa. This means consuming more dietary cholesterol has little effect on its levels within the body. Cholesterol comes from two sources: about 25% of the cholesterol in our bodies comes from the food we eat and about 75 percent is synthesized from our body, which closely regulates the amount of cholesterol in the blood by controlling the internal generation.
These tiny floating balls of brilliance are crucial triglyceride and cholesterol ester transporters, throughout the blood. Some movement fat from the gut to the fat cells, some move fat in the fat cells to the liver, muscles, and brain, and some love back the fat to the fat cells if it was not used elsewhere within the body.
HDL is associated with improved cardiovascular health whereas the health consequences of LDL depend on the dimensions of the particles. Higher quantities of large fluffy LDL particles have been associated with normal cholesterol and cholesterol levels. Higher amounts of small, dense LDL particles have been associated with low HDL, elevated triglycerides, and an inclination to develop elevated blood sugar and type 2 diabetes.
We used to think, the higher the concentration of cholesterol carried by an LDL particle, the greater the chance of cardiovascular disease. Yet, studies now show us that it’s the total amount of LDL particles that really matter.
For the huge majority of people, a ketogenic diet lowers the number of small, dense LDL particles also raises HDL, and for many people, the whole cholesterol level will go up (such as in Ancel Keys research I mentioned previously ) — however, this isn’t too big of a bargain than we have been lead to think. Provided that small, dense LDL stays low, the whole cholesterol count is less significant. In actuality, the ratio between your triglyceride count and HDL count can be a more powerful indicator of heart health than your total cholesterol number.
What we want to listen to instead of our whole cholesterol is that our blood sugar and triglyceride levels; which increase directly by raising amounts of carbohydrates, and foods that increase insulin are carbohydrates, starches, and sugar. HDL count and hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein), which affects the total amount of inflammation within the body. If inflammation grows on a ketogenic diet, it is usually due to nuts, seeds, a food sensitivity (dairy is a common trigger), or products that contain artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors.
If you’re interested in how a lot of the fluffy LDL and how lots of these small, dense LDL you’ve got, the count of HDL and other cholesterol stats, an NMR lipid profile evaluation is your blood test you’re looking for.
