In a latest research printed within the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, researchers explored the influence of ketogenic weight-reduction plan on low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels of cholesterol.
Study: Dramatic elevation of LDL ldl cholesterol from ketogenic-dieting: A Case Series. Image Credit: SewCreamStudio/Shutterstock.com
Background
Due to the escalating weight problems ranges, the ketogenic (keto) weight-reduction plan has been studied as a possible treatment for obese sufferers’ deteriorating weight achieve, cardiovascular outcomes, and insulin resistance.
Though well-liked as a relatively secure, non-pharmaceutical remedy, the long-term results of the keto weight-reduction plan for weight reduction will not be totally understood, and {most professional} medical societies don’t advise this routine.
Some people on a ketogenic weight-reduction plan could expertise a major rise in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels of cholesterol as a result of its excessive saturated fatty acid content material.
About the research
In the current research, researchers described a cohort of sufferers whose LDL-cholesterol ranges rose to an unprecedented stage after starting a ketogenic weight-reduction plan.
The workforce evaluated medical information of sufferers who introduced to Cardiology for a hyperlipidemia analysis after lipid panel blood work revealed an LDL ldl cholesterol stage of 190 mg/dL or extra. The charts of those sufferers have been cross-referenced to contain the phrases “keto” or “ketogenic”.
The doctor’s notes have been manually inspected for the affected person’s dietary routines to substantiate that these phrases have been accurately utilized. Almost 17 sufferers consuming a high-fat, low-carbohydrate weight-reduction plan (known as the ketogenic weight-reduction plan) have been detected and evaluated through chart evaluation.
Results
Eleven sufferers have been male, and 6 have been feminine. The imply age at hyperlipidemia evaluation was 46 years. The ethnicity of 14 sufferers was Caucasian, whereas one was Lebanese, one was Asian, and one was Hispanic.
Two sufferers reported a historical past of documented coronary artery illness, one had prior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and one other reported coronary artery calcifications. Also, ten sufferers revealed a household historical past of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerotic coronary illness. Three sufferers fulfilled the factors for familial hyperlipidemia established by the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network.
The affected person’s body-mass index (BMI) ranged from 14.83 to 43.87 kg/m2, averaging 27 kg/m2. Only one affected person had xanthelasmas, whereas the others didn’t. No sufferers displayed further bodily manifestations of hyperlipidemia, comparable to tendinous xanthomas or corneal arcus.
The cohort’s common LDL ldl cholesterol at baseline was 129 mg/dL. Almost three sufferers introduced with no basal LDL levels of cholesterol earlier than recruitment. During a mean of 12.3 months on a low-carbohydrate and high-fat weight-reduction plan, the imply LDL ldl cholesterol was 316 mg/dL.
Thirteen sufferers who stopped weight-reduction plan and obtained a lipid panel after virtually 9 months had a mean LDL ldl cholesterol stage of 142.7 mg/dL. Seven of those 13 sufferers who underwent follow-up laboratory testing might change their LDL ldl cholesterol via dietary modification alone with out altering their train routine. Statin drugs have been prescribed to eight sufferers. At follow-up, one of many sufferers continued the ketogenic routine.
In seven and ten sufferers, Apolipoprotein A1 (Apo A1) and Apo B have been collected, respectively. The imply Apo A1 focus was 149.4 mg/dL, and the imply Apo B focus was 191 mg/dL.
Furthermore, no acute atherosclerotic heart problems (ASCVD) occasions have been recorded whereas these sufferers have been on the ketogenic weight-reduction plan. Five sufferers have been evaluated genetically for familial hypercholesterolemia. Two sufferers have been found to have an LDL-R gene mutation.
Conclusion
The research findings confirmed sufferers who adopted the ketogenic weight-reduction plan for 12.3 months displayed a imply elevation in LDL ldl cholesterol of 187 mg/dL, accounting for a 245% enhance.
When sufferers stopped consuming the ketogenic routine, their LDL levels of cholesterol have been lowered by a imply of 174 mg/dL, or 220%. Further analysis is critical to grasp this heightened response’s causes and long-term medical significance.