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.