An MD-PhD explains why lean people see LDL cholesterol spike on low-carb diets while heavier people don't. His meta-analysis found leanness, not saturated fat or genetics, predicts the rise. He suggests the LDL increase may be harmless, driven by the body's shift to burning fat for fuel.
Dat line, dat line right there is my 500 line. And if you're on a low-carb diet, you need to understand it because I'm not just some shirtless rando. I'm an MD PhD that's going to explain some mind-blowing physiology. So what do you think is the number one predictor of LDL cholesterol going up on a low-carb diet? Saturated fat? Fiber? Genetics? No, it's how lean you are. And this isn't me just making this stuff up. Colleagues and I have shown this in a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that we published I'll put the PubMed ID below if you want to check it out. Basically, the leaner you are, the higher your LDL cholesterol goes. This has to do with human physiology, differences in fat cells, insulin sensitivity, and probably reflects an adaptive fuel trafficking process whereby when you're lean and insulin sensitive and go low carb, your body shifts into fat burning mode, and that requires trafficking through particles that contain cholesterol. And the funny thing is, if I get a little bit chubbier and that 500 line goes away, I know my LDL cholesterol has dropped. Now the question is, is that healthy?
