High cholesterol is a problem that most people associate with ketogenic diets, especially those new to this diet. I have already dealt with many people concerned about their cholesterol, although they lost a lot of weight and got much healthier.

These people’s messages usually go something like this: “This is the story of how I googled keto. I started keto, lost twenty pounds, and feel great. My psoriasis is gone, and my heartburn is better, but my cholesterol went up, and my doctor freaked out and wanted me on a pill. What do I do?”
This article seeks to answer these concerns and provide a better understanding of the shocking truth: the ketogenic diet, high cholesterol, and what It means for your heart. Please do share this bit of information with anyone who has high cholesterol, anyone who is worried about the cholesterol levels, or anyone who may be eating a ketogenic diet but is always worried and has lots of fears about the impacts high cholesterol can cause.

The Real Focus for Keto Diet: Healthspan and Lifespans

When evaluating the ketogenic diet, one’s health should be the primary consideration, with the desire to enhance the quality and longevity of life. Everyone craves to have a long, healthy, and disease-free life. Longevity is good, but it must be accompanied by an equally long health span. So, to achieve a hundred, only one wishes to be alive, but for the last 30 years lying in a nursing home because of a stroke is hardly what is desired. Rather, the hope is to age well and actively and to be healthy right up into the golden years.
It must be borne in mind that, like any other recommendations concerning nutrition and overall health, the ketogenic diet is designed to lower the likelihood of adverse health consequences, and that includes heart diseases, heart attacks, strokes, and other connected ailments. Therefore, the central question about cholesterol should be: Will this diet in any way help me or worsen my chances of getting a heart attack? Not just, will it raise my cholesterol?
To answer these questions, first, let me explain the misunderstood markers of cholesterol, is it harmful to heart health? What does high cholesterol do to us? And a lot more.

Cholesterol: A Misunderstood Marker

Historically, cholesterol, with a focus on LDL cholesterol, was considered a predictor of the risk of cardiovascular disease. Earlier people used to think that high cholesterol posed the possibility of heart attack, and thus more and more people were prescribed statin drugs and other drugs for cholesterol lowering.

These drugs were meant to decrease one’s likelihood of the occurrence of heart attacks because they can help reduce cholesterol levels. However, new literature findings dispute this perspective.

you can see The surprising effects of saturated cholesterol on heart health.

Is it harmful to heart health?

In reality, cholesterol itself is not inherently harmful. High cholesterol doesn’t cause pain, make you feel bad, or negatively impact your appearance. The assumption that high cholesterol levels automatically lead to heart attacks is being reevaluated as new research emerges. Many studies now suggest that the amount of saturated fat or cholesterol you consume has little to no correlation with your risk of heart attack, heart disease, or stroke.

Cholesterol Myths and Heart Disease

Surprisingly, the idea that the consumption of dietary cholesterol and saturated fats in foods is a direct leading cause of heart disease is a myth. This myth has evolved from primary studies, which were later introduced in research on producing anti-cholesterol drugs. These drugs were making billions of dollars, although research was emerging that these drugs were not helping to prevent heart attacks as it was earlier believed.

Now and then, I came across meaningful studies, that show that the creation of a diet has a profound effect on heart attack or stroke and intensity of cholesterol rather than the kind of cholesterol is an insignificant matter. However, some doctors and dietitians keep recommending low-cholesterol diets and cholesterol-reducing drugs. Many people still follow this advice because research takes time to upgrade their knowledge with the most recent findings.

Can a keto diet cause high cholesterol?

One of the biggest discoveries regarding the ketogenic diet is that people can stick to a low-carb diet high in fat and still not experience a rise in LDL cholesterol. Indeed, about two-thirds of the individuals who followed ketogenic dieting observed lowered levels of total and LDL cholesterol, decreased triglycerides, and increased levels of HDL cholesterol, sometimes referred to as beneficial cholesterol.

Concerning the majority of people who try the ketogenic diet, there are improvements in the blood lipids; specifically, the triglyceride levels go down while the HDL goes up. Nevertheless, only a small percentage of people, maybe 5 percent or even less, can have a massively raised level of LDL cholesterol. This increase in LDL has left a lot of concern, especially among health practitioners, and consequently, there has been a recommendation for cholesterol-regulating drugs.

Why your body needs cholesterol

Cholesterol plays a very important role in many processes that occur in the human body. Oddly enough, cholesterol is present in every cell membrane in your body and plays a huge part in maintaining the cells’ structure. Cholesterol is also required for the synthesis of tissues of the brain, nerve cells, sex hormones, and adrenal hormones. They indicate that if cholesterol was to be wiped out of your body, within minutes you would be dead.
Since cholesterol is directly involved in carrying out life’s functions, it can only be understood that cholesterol cannot be bad. Instead, the organism synthesizes around 3,000 milligrams of cholesterol per day, as this substance is considered extremely vital for the human body. It is rather preposterous to fear cholesterol and try to make it as low as possible in your body.

The LDL Cholesterol Paradox in Athletes and Keto Dieters

Surprisingly, many papers reported that individuals in the highest performing groups actuating as professional sportsmen had higher values of LDL cholesterol while they might be most obese. This phenomenon indicates, for instance, that high levels of LDL cholesterol in such conditions as ketogenic diets do not entail negative effects similar to those in the general population.
The latest studies, with the study conducted by Dave Feldman being one of the most recent, have aimed at determining whether high LDL cholesterol in persons who have embraced a long-term ketogenic diet has a corresponding tendency to clog the arteries in the heart, signifying atherosclerosis. Considering the varied ketogenic diet’s effect on people, this research, which uses CT coronary angiograms, seeks to find out whether high LDL cholesterol poses a risk of increasing the probability of coronary artery disease.

Preliminary Findings from the Keto Study on Coronary Plaque

The preliminary findings from this study are promising. Some participants had been on the ketogenic diet, and the mean duration on the diet was 4. 7 years. Researchers observed that there was no substantial decrease in the plaque volume in the coronary arteries compared in a group from the Miami Heart Study who consumed an AAD. Based on this finding, it can be postulated that the high LDL cholesterol reported in some ketogenic diet consumers may not be as detrimental as is generally presupposed, especially when other indicators such as HDL cholesterol and triglycerides are on an upward trajectory.

The study’s ongoing research will continue to monitor these participants to see if any changes in coronary artery plaque occur over time. However, the initial results indicate that the ketogenic diet, even when associated with high LDL cholesterol, may not contribute to the development of atherosclerosis as feared.
However, the study’s actual research is ongoing, and the investigators will follow the participants over time to determine whether any alterations in coronary artery plaque are detected. However, the first outcome study also suggests that the ketogenic diet does not add to the progression of atherosclerosis as previously assumed, even if LDL cholesterol is considered high.

What are the long-term effects of the keto diet?

When discussing the long-term effects of the keto diet, particularly concerning heart health, it’s essential to look beyond cholesterol levels.

• One of the most crucial indicators is your **waist-to-height ratio**. This simple yet powerful measurement can predict the potential for a heart attack. To calculate it, measure your waist at the level of your navel, then measure your height while standing upright. Divide your waist measurement by your height. If the resulting number is below 0.5, you’re in a healthy range. However, if it’s 0.5 or higher, you are at an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke.
• Another critical factor is **elevated triglycerides**. Unlike cholesterol, high triglyceride levels are directly linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood, are heavily influenced by your diet, particularly your intake of sugar, fructose, and simple carbohydrates. While high cholesterol levels are not always dangerous, elevated triglycerides certainly pose a threat to heart health.
• **Fasting insulin levels** are also a significant concern. Even a slight increase in fasting insulin can heighten your risk of developing heart disease. A high hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, which reflects your average blood sugar level over the past three months, is another red flag. Even a minor increase in HbA1c can significantly raise your chances of having a heart attack.
• **Inflammation** is another factor that should not be overlooked. High levels of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and ferritin are strongly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Inflammation can damage your arteries, making you more vulnerable to heart disease.
• Finally, your **C-peptide level**, which is linked to insulin production, should be within normal limits. An elevated C-peptide level is another indication of increased heart attack and stroke risk. Monitoring and maintaining these levels within a healthy range is crucial for reducing long-term cardiovascular risk on a ketogenic diet.

In summary, while the ketogenic diet may alter cholesterol levels, the real concerns for long-term heart health lie in factors like waist-to-height ratio, triglyceride levels, fasting insulin, HbA1c, inflammation, and C-peptide levels. By focusing on these critical indicators, you can better understand and manage the long-term effects of the keto diet on your heart health.

Conclusion: Shift Your Focus

In conclusion, the fear of cholesterol figures should be ended, and people should pay attention to the following values as the main predictors of cardiovascular diseases. For example, the ratio between waist circumference and height, triglycerides, fasting insulin levels, hemoglobin A1c, and inflammatory markers are considerably more dangerous for heart attack and stroke than cholesterol. So, if you want to have a better way of living and be free from heart disease, it is important to control these indicators.
FAQs
Q. Is high cholesterol always good or bad for your health?
ANS: Thus, high cholesterol, and specifically LDL cholesterol, are not dangerous on their own. One must consider that there are other parameters, such as triglycerides, and HDL may be elevated along with cholesterol.
Q. Does the ketogenic diet cause heart disease?
ANS: Several studies show that, contrary to what one would expect, a ketogenic diet might not be associated with the worsening of heart disease, even if cholesterol LDL goes up. Such an impact on health indices like triglycerides and HDL total is more critical in its overall sense.
Q. What is atherosclerosis all about, and how does it concern cholesterol? **
ANS: Atherosclerosis is defined as a condition that has rigid, thickened, or partially/fully blocked arteries, and makes it prone to heart attacks or stroke. It could then be attributed to high cholesterol, regarded as a cause of atherosclerosis, but that is the ultimate reason.
Q. Can I go on the ketogenic diet if I have high cholesterol? **
ANS: Of course, there are various cases when individuals with high cholesterol consume a keto diet in a way that does not suffer from any consequences. But other health indicators should be kept in check, and one should seek the services of a doctor or any other health personnel at any one time.
Q. Of all the parameters, which should be closely watched during the execution of ketogenic diets? **
ANS: Remember that is it not only the cholesterol values; it also these values: Waist-to-height ratio, triglycerides, fasting insulin, HbA1c, and markers of inflammation.

Q. Is it possible to bring my risk of heart disease down more by altering my lifestyle than by taking medication? **
ANS: Even a diet including ketogenic and physical activities can help lower the risk of heart disease much more effectively as medication only.