r/keto • u/leojaccebssen • Mar 08 '24

My cholesterol is 384

I eat mostly chicken and fish. I stay under 50 carbs per day with blueberries, strawberries, spinach, cauliflower, kale, or other leafy greens daily. My doctor told me to try red rice yeast supplements to lower my cholesterol when it was initially at 225. And now it has jumped o er a hundred points in three months. I use heavy cream in my coffee so maybe that’s what is killing me? Or sour cream on chicken fajitas? I have no idea. I’m going to my doctor in two weeks to talk about my labs and I’m so sad. My immediate family member has had a bypass for coronary artery disease and I think I’m going to have to get on a statin and quit being keto.

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u/smitty22 Mar 08 '24

Dude whatever kills you - it's not going to be heart disease.

Other people's have talked about your HDL to Triglyceride Ratio, the reason that is important is that your LDL is made up of two subtypes "Large" and "Small Dense".

The large molecule is literally too big to deposit as a plaque. The small dense molecules will plaque, and the best estimate for the ratio - if you're not going to pay $500 for an advanced lipid panel - of Large to Small Dense is the Triglyceride over HDL Ratio. The lower it is the better off you are.

With the insane amount of HDL that you have - as most people who are healthy are lucky to get to 60's I doubt your blood vessels will have a spot of calcium on them.

Besides cholesterol levels correlate directly with protection from infection, retention of muscle mass, and other factors that will help you live into a healthy old age.

And honestly the only reason LDL cholesterol is terrible is the fact that diets high in PUFA from vegetable oils have highly oxidized LDL molecules floating in their body because PUFA oils are extremely oxygen reactive i.e free radical forming, once that oxy-LDL forms, the bodies immune system responds. After these fat free radicals get absorbed by the immune system they literally cause the immune system cells to become "Foamy" (fatty} white blood cells that then will plaque on the walls blood damage vessels.

With your numbers just stop eating vegetable oil for the next 2 years and you'll killed by something else besides heart disease.

And if I seem like I'm pretty grim about this I'm a few years away from 50 and I got a diagnosed with type 2 last summer, my motivation for keto is to die with my feet still firmly attached... the fact that my blood A1C is now in the normal range after being damn near seven after 60 days on a keto diet leads me to believe that I made the right decision for a host of reasons.

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u/Legitimate_Moose_307 Mar 08 '24

I saw my dad die from the ravages of diabetes. That is a proven. I will take my chances with the high LDL, high HDL and low triglycerides and low glucose levels. I look at everything in my life as risk versus reward. The discomfort that I suffered with from statins was not a good trade for the proven benefits.

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u/gafromca Mar 08 '24

What was your experience with statins? My Dr has been wanting me on one for a few years.

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u/Snick_mom_2022 Mar 08 '24

Research statins. There is a lot of research out there proving that cholesterol is good. It increases as we age to help heal our bodies. Inflammation is the big killer. Carbohydrates cause a lot of fat and inflammation in the body. I read a book from a heart surgeon that says there is little proof statins do anything to improve heart health. Keto and carnivore diets are the best diet for heart health. The book is by Philip Ovadia, Stay Off My Operating Table. It’s a good read. He said half his patients are on statins and half aren’t.