this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2025
-2 points (33.3% liked)

Low Carb High Fat - Ketogenic

65 readers
2 users here now

A casual community to talk about LCHF/Ketogenic lifestyles, issues, benefits, difficulties, recipes, foods.

The more science focused sister community is !metabolic_health@discuss.online

Rules

  1. Be nice
  2. Stay on topic
  3. Don’t farm rage
  4. Be respectful of other diets, choices, lifestyles!!!
  5. No Blanket down voting - If you only come to this community to downvote its the wrong community for you

founded 1 month ago
MODERATORS
 

Summary


Detailed summary — "The Real Cause of Clogged Arteries and how fasting can help"

  • Core claim: Atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) is primarily driven by chronic inflammation, not merely passive cholesterol deposition, and plaque is a metabolically active, inflammatory process that can rupture and cause heart attacks.

  • Primary triggers that cause vascular inflammation:

    • Metabolic dysfunction (insulin resistance, prediabetes) which promotes harmful lipid profiles including small, dense LDL.
    • Dietary factors (processed foods, high omega‑6 intake, advanced glycation end products) that drive inflammation and oxidative stress.
    • Toxins and impaired detoxification, which increase systemic inflammatory burden.
    • Gut problems (e.g., leaky gut / dysbiosis) that seed inflammation systemically.
    • Lifestyle stressors (poor sleep, chronic stress) that amplify inflammatory cascades.
  • Nature and consequence of plaque: Plaque is described as an inflammatory, metabolically active lesion; when plaque becomes unstable and ruptures the ensuing clot formation leads to heart attacks — so reducing inflammation and stabilizing plaque is central to preventing acute events.

  • How fasting counteracts the causes (mechanisms):

    • Lowers insulin levels, improving insulin sensitivity and reducing production of small, dense LDL, thereby decreasing a major driver of inflammation and atherogenesis.
    • Stimulates autophagy and mitophagy, promoting cellular and mitochondrial cleanup which reduces oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling.
    • Supports detoxification by enhancing liver processing and elimination of toxins that contribute to vascular inflammation.
    • Resets gut health, helping reduce inflammation originating from a leaky or dysbiotic gut.
    • Promotes ketogenesis and fat mobilization during extended fasting, which is framed as anti‑inflammatory and metabolically beneficial.
    • Overall effect: fasting lowers measurable inflammatory markers, improves metabolic health, and creates conditions that can halt or reverse drivers of plaque progression.
  • Practical fasting approaches recommended:

    • Time‑restricted feeding as a daily lifestyle (example: 18:6, eat within 6 hours, fast 18 hours).
    • Periodic prolonged fasts (example: a 3‑day water fast done periodically — cited as helpful for metabolic reset, stem cell mobilization and deeper detoxification; suggested timing varies by individual needs).
    • Use of fasting to achieve ketosis for added anti‑inflammatory and fat‑mobilizing effects.
  • Overall strategy and expectations: Adopt an anti‑inflammatory lifestyle (fasting, improved diet, sleep, stress management, and addressing toxins/gut health) to manage plaque — the goal is usually to prevent progression and rupture rather than promise complete elimination of existing plaque; with these measures individuals can often live with plaque without experiencing fatal events.

  • Takeaway (concise): Targeting systemic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction — with fasting as a central tool among dietary and lifestyle interventions — is presented as the most effective approach to preventing plaque progression and reducing risk of heart attacks.

Dr Jamnadas shares his experience holistically treating patients with heart disease. There is a lot of content, and it's hard to do a write-up when all of it is interesting, so I'd recommend watching the video to anyone who's even at all interested in managing heart disease and staying healthy, since there is a lot of actionable advice.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] xep@discuss.online 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

but with devices like air fryers, for example, I’m totally against them because they create advanced glycation end products.

I really like my convection oven :(

Triglycerides are a very good clue. If your triglycerides are absolutely normal—and normal is not less than 150—remember, we fudged a lot of the numbers. It's not 150; it's less than 100. That's normal. It's just that the population today has so much triglycerides that they put the level at that—just like your liver enzymes. When I was in training, liver enzymes greater than 25 were abnormal. Now it's 45 because everyone's got a fatty liver, so they just bumped it up. How daft is that?

Also unfortunately indirectly harming people.

For example, I'll tell you about myself: my "LDL" level is about 170-something—large particles, calcium score zero. My triglycerides are 80; "HDL" 75. That's what you want. You want a good, high "HDL" and a nice, low triglyceride. Then the "LDL" is going to take care of itself. You're going to have large, fluffy particles, and you can test for it. Someone like me—I'm going to test coronary calcium. With my coronary calcium score being zero, I know I'm going to be okay.

I should try to get coronary calcium as part of my yearly medical.

Mycotoxins, phthalates, glyphosate, herbicides, pesticides, and heavy metals all cause inflammation and impair mitochondrial function.

My personal opinion is that it's very likely plant toxins do too.

A major study from Finland showed that people with severe coronary disease who used a regular (not infrared) sauna three times a week had a 40%–50% reduction in sudden cardiac death. If I had a drug that did that, it would be a bestseller. Those who used a sauna five days a week had about a 60% reduction. These findings have been published, but they rarely make the news. Still, sauna clearly offers benefits.

Some argue that sauna raises body temperature and increases heart rate by about 30%, making it comparable to low-level exercise. Maybe. Another likely reason is detoxification, as toxins are excreted through sweat.

I really ought to start.

You can address all these different inflammatory pathways: the endocrine system, the liver, leaky gut, toxins, metals, lifestyle. But there's one thing that touches all the mechanisms and improves them all, and that's fasting.

Glad I started.

I teach patients how to breathe—breathing exercises, breathing in—and how to go into silence. I teach them to cultivate mental, internal silence. That is anti-inflammatory because you’re not sending those messages to the platelets; there is no message when you’re in silence.

I had no idea meditation was anti-inflammatory!

[–] jet@hackertalks.com 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

but with devices like air fryers, for example, I’m totally against them because they create advanced glycation end products.

I really like my convection oven :(

How does this work? If your frying something without sugar, where does the glycation come from?

Some argue that sauna raises body temperature and increases heart rate by about 30%, making it comparable to low-level exercise. Maybe. Another likely reason is detoxification, as toxins are excreted through sweat.

I really ought to start.

One of us! Saunas are black boxes, we don't know why they have benefits (there are a few speculations), but it seems like only upside for minimal time commitment. I will admit some days I just feel like going, but i go to not break the streak.

[–] xep@discuss.online 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

If your frying something without sugar, where does the glycation come from?

I'm guessing implicitly he means don't fry foods containing sugars at high heat, not sure how you'd glycate it otherwise.

Saunas are black boxes

Ha, I see what you did there.