Bloods back from GP- weight down but cholesterol is up. Has anyone else had issues with this after starting this way of eating?

[RedUnicorn]

Diabetes risk low ( healthy sugar level & healthy blood pressure)

Maybe I just need to watch the nut snacks?

[MikePollard]

Why are you concerned about cholesterol, if indeed that is your concern?

[RedUnicorn in reply to MikePollard]

Because it is a known health risk in my family not linked to smoking or obesity. ( heart disease)

[ChubbieChops in reply to RedUnicorn]

Have a look at TheAwfulToad 's post a few days ago in this forum entitled "What if we could prevent strokes?" I have read in several places now that high cholesterol levels are more likely to help protect you against CVD

[Subtle_badger in reply to ChubbieChops]

I think that was about TC.

RedUnicorn , was it your total and/or LDL and/or non-HDL that was of concern?

[RedUnicorn in reply to MikePollard]

I’ve read through the link below but I think maybe the GP was being cautious saying I needed to review my fat intake

[Subtle_badger]

I haven't got far enough to have experienced that myself yet, but it is phenomenon.

Whether it puts you at a health risk is not established.

dietdoctor.com/low-carb/cho...

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

If your diabetes risk is low then your heart disease risk is also low. Having diabetes sends your risk of heart disease through the roof (a factor of 200%+).

Because of associations like that, there is now a growing school of thought suggesting that diabetes and heart disease are basically the same thing. "Metabolic syndrome" refers to a cluster of signs and symptoms that invariably occur together: loss of blood sugar control, general low-grade inflammation, ongoing damage to arterial epithelia (not quite the same thing as 'atherosclerosis'), obesity, NAFLD, and abnormal cholesterol fractions. These don't all necessarily appear at the same time in any given patient though.

The point is that a high-fat low-carb diet is healthy for your heart. Hold that thought.

The second point is that you're going through an adaptation process. Measuring your cholesterol panel at this time is a bit like measuring your car's fuel consumption with the accelerator floored; yes, you're still technically measuring the fuel consumption, but the number you get is of little practical value. What you're interested in is your car's general fuel economy, but that single-point reading is not representative. Same thing going on here.

The third point is that your total cholesterol is a completely useless predictor of your future disease risk. LDL-C likewise. This has been known for at least 20 years, which means that NICE has just got around to thinking about updating its guidelines. You should be looking at your HDL-C/TG ratio, which, although it's still a pretty useless predictor, is at least slightly better than TC.

Once you're well into your LCHF lifestyle - say, 12 months in, when your weight is stable - you can get another cholesterol test and your doctor will probably make less fuss about it. In fact, if other people's results are anything to go by (we're all reporting excellent HDL-C/TG numbers) he'll probably be ecstatic. But don't pay too much attention to it. High, low, indifferent - those cholesterol numbers really don't mean much.

As for "being cautious" about fat: read the link that ChubbyChops posted a few days ago, in which the NHS admits that fat (saturated or otherwise) doesn't even correlate with CVD, nevermind being the cause.

[Ladylin151]

Look at it this way; when you are losing weight your body is releasing fat. It is floating around and changing and doing crazy things. Wait for those changes to settle down before using those numbers for any sort of information.

[Lilaclady24]

I strongly suggest that you get advice on your cholesterol from a doctor. One person wrote on here that if your diabetes risk is low, so also would be your risk of heart disease. In my family, not one relative—sibling, parent, grandparent, uncle or aunt has ever suffered from diabetes but high cholesterol and heart disease is rampant in our family. No one is or was obese but the cholesterol levels are still high! My sister has cholesterol problems, even had a TIA and she has lived in Italy most of her life, is skinny and eats an unbelievably healthy Mediterranean diet. It’s a complicated subject and a medical professional who has your medical record in front of her/him is best placed to advice you. Good luck!

[Lilaclady24]

hsph.harvard.edu/nutritions...

This is the prestigious Harvard Medical School weighing in on the advantages and disadvantages of LCHF diet, cholesterol etc. Useful info plainly expressed. Good luck!