Personal anecdote: I'm now one month into eating an animal-sources only diet. I eat mainly steaks that I sous vide, and about twice a week I'll eat oily fish, chicken, or pork.
I'd say that I'm currently about 95% adherent. I still drink lattes, and when I'm outside drinking with my friends I don't restrict what foods I eat, although I'll try to politely decline carbohydrates, vegetables, and sweet alcoholic drinks or beer. I really enjoy cooking and baking, and I do miss being able to cook most of what I used to, so that's a little bit of a downside. On the upside, my kitchen has been greatly simplified.
Based on a test I've done today, in mg/dl, my LDL is 212, Tg 98, and HDL 66. My doctor expressed concern about LDL but was happy to observe for a few more months, although he did float the idea of statins. I told him that with my 120/70 BP and ideal waist/height ratio that I'd prefer to wait and see, and he agreed. My tg/hdl ratio of 1.48 was not discussed, although it suggests to me that there isn't anything to worry about.
I found this discussion between Prof. Bart Kay and Dr. Sean Patterson about cholesterol levels helpful, so I'm linking it here:
Summary
- The speaker discusses their high cholesterol levels and the medical community's approach to diagnosing and treating elevated cholesterol.
- Cholesterol is a crucial molecule for the human body, serving multiple purposes, and its levels are often pathologized by the pharmaceutical industry.
- HDL and LDL are not different types of cholesterol but rather lipoproteins that transport cholesterol and other lipids in the bloodstream.
- The body's lipoprotein levels are regulated by genes that have evolved over billions of years to ensure long-term survival.
- Doctors often pathologize elevated cholesterol levels based on arbitrary thresholds set by the medical and pharmaceutical industries.
- The speaker questions whether their high cholesterol levels are a cause for concern or if they are simply a marker of underlying health issues.
- Chronic inflammation, glycation, and oxidation are the root causes of heart disease, not elevated cholesterol levels.
- Atherosclerosis is an immune dysfunction caused by chronic systemic inflammation and damage to the vascular epithelial cells.
- Blood pressure and turbulence in the blood flow due to vessel bifurcations contribute to the development of atherosclerotic lesions.
- The speaker emphasizes the importance of addressing the root causes of heart disease rather than focusing solely on cholesterol levels.
Another video that's been helpful is the one by Dr. Mason, about blood test results on a ketogenic diet. :
Summary
- Dr. Paul Mason discusses the interpretation of cholesterol blood tests and the significance of different types of lipoproteins.
- Cholesterol tests measure lipoproteins, which carry fats around the body, and not just cholesterol itself.
- There are five major classes of lipoproteins, with VLDL, IDL, LDL, and HDL being the most relevant for health.
- LDL (low-density lipoprotein) can be healthy or damaged; damaged LDL is linked to heart disease.
- Damaged LDL is caused by exposure to sugar (glucose), leading to glycation and oxidation, making it small and dense.
- Standard cholesterol tests often estimate LDL levels, which can be inaccurate; more precise methods involve centrifuging blood samples.
- High LDL particle count is a better predictor of heart disease than total LDL volume.
- Damaged LDL can accumulate in blood vessels, leading to atherosclerosis and heart disease.
- Triglyceride and HDL levels can help determine if someone has a healthy (Pattern A) or unhealthy (Pattern B) LDL profile.
- The triglyceride-to-HDL ratio is a useful metric for assessing cardiovascular risk.
- The Feldman protocol suggests that a high-fat diet for three days can significantly lower LDL levels by increasing LDL receptor activity.
Edit: apologies for the placeholder URL, I'd originally intended to only post one youtube video but then decided to do a write-up instead and I don't know how to remove it.
I have yearly medical test records, which I have annotated. In the year prior to being diagnosed with NAFLD I tried going fully plant-based. Prior to starting carnivore, I only ate in a 8 hour window for about 15 years.
LDL has gone up progressively, but my lipids have improved in general. I'm curious about how they will look in a year on carnivore, then two years or three years down the line.
That's a good idea. I'm slightly concerned about the radiation dosage so I'll only do it if I feel like I'm at risk. I'll definitely keep it in mind. I had no intention of taking statins at all, so I declined to do so in the nicest way I could.
Not really, they've seen my changes physically and have asked me how I did it. I'm still not sure how far I can go and not have them feel any social pressure. I will buy a couple CGMs!
I ate pizza, then had tiramisu for dessert and drank some wine last weekend and I definitely felt like I succumbed. The temptation is very real especially when it's with people whose company I enjoy. I found myself making excuses to myself, such as "the pizza is more cheese than pizza, I'll skip the crust" and other things like that.
He's my favourite of all the carnivore doctors when he's not being a shock jockey! haha
Great Data! I really appreciate you sharing this, really.
TG/HDL ratios over time (lower is better)
HDL is trending up. I assume these were all fasted readings.
I'm puzzled that TG is coming up on carnivore, that isn't the typical reported pattern. Typically TG is driven by glucose levels right? Maybe the increase is based in stored fat mobilization? You are mobilizing 16x the fat on carnivore that you were on keto, so maybe it is just that
Weight Change over Time
The TG/HDL increasing is the first time i've seen it go up on someone doing carnivore, but your not steady state yet, and all the readings since you 2024 are in the optimal range anyway, so its not a problem, but this could be a interesting area of research
There is a neck ultrasound that can be done, but i haven't done the research on how actionable the data is.
I think most friends just care about spending time with you, so long as you are still available they will be ok :)
Glad you stayed on track!
He really is great, I wish he did the more informational presentations, like the low carb down under presentations.
Yes to both.
It surprised me also. Maybe it's because I'm not eating enough fat and too much protein, and it's being converted into glucose. I'll try increasing my fat intake some.
Seems like he's also moved off YouTube to Odysee, maybe to avoid being shadowbanned by Google.
It's really hard to say, I wouldn't change anything since your doing so well; Perhaps a CGM would show you, I highly doubt your a hyper protein responder converting it into huge glucose spikes (that is usually the people will really bad TG/HDL ratios). If your CGM is always flat, and TG is elevated, then the fat is coming from your adipose tissue and is just your body optimizing itself.
Youtube is working really hard to stop being the town square of the internet. I wish freetube would also work on odysee subscriptions
Forgot to address fasting insulin. I can't get that test here from my medical checkup provider, for some reason, I'll have to ask my GP for it.