Interested to know how your cholesterol has responded to higher fat consumption

One thing I am looking forward to when I get my next venous blood test results (not scheduled for a couple of months or so, quite frustrating ) is how my cholesterols compare to my pre-diagnosis levels. I have massively cut down on carbs and correspondingly increased fat consumption and am actively trying to improve the balance and types of fats in my diet - for example. more olive oil, starting to use cold pressed rapeseed oil (making my own mayonnaise, for example), eating more nuts every day and decreasing the use of sunflower oil (to reduce Omega 6). Also using more groundnut oil, eating more meat of course, more butter, more fish and I take a cod liver oil supplement. On top of that am doing much more exercise.

Of course the conventional wisdom suggests that some of what I am doing will be bad for my cholesterol and cardio health although as most of us know here there is now an emerging opposite opinion.

So - curious to find out from those further down the road than me - has LCHF made a difference to your cholesterol results?

Edit - my previous results prior to diet and fitness programme Total Cholesterol 3.6, HDL 0.84, LDL 2.32, Triglyceride 0.97, so basically good although I would like to see an improvement in my HDL (good colesterol).

I should have mentioned that I used to cook mostly with sunflower oil (frying, including deep fat fryer) but did use extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings. I found out that sunflower oil is high in Omega 6 (which we need but most of us consume far too much in relation to our Omega 3 intake) and sunflower oil breaks down very quickly in a deep fat fryer. (Very little I cook in the fryer is for me these days but for chips and the like for the rest of the family I now use groundnut oil which is much more stable). I used to eat up to half a dozen slices of (mainly wholemeal) bread a day, with a generous portion of sunflower spread. I made some attempt to reduce animal fats in my diet and I have always liked tree nuts (almonds, walnuts and brazil nuts, etc.) as a snack. I used to have a teaspoon and a half of sugar in coffee and tea, but had these black. In fact I don't drink milk but I do love cheese of all types. Carbs I have cut out include generous portions of pasta, white rice and potatoes every week. Now eating a great deal more salad and cooked vegetables. Recently been joined by my non-diabetic wife who seems to be inspired by my weigh loss

modesty007 said:

Sorry for asking but why not use butter (preferably grass-fed like Kerrygold) and/or coconut oil, hopefully you're not believing the old and outdated scare of saturated fat. www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

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If you are referring to me, I do use butter. Coconut oil is not that easy to find where I am and I understand it has a coconut taste whereas groundnut oil is pretty much neutral. If you read my original post you will see I acknowledge the new thinking about more fats in the diet, including saturated fats but my understanding is that you need to get a good balance of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats - you need them all but less poly, more saturated and considerably more mono.

Adelle0607 said:

Here you go cholesterol results using the Low carb diet.

June 2014 Jan 2014
Cholesterol 5.31 5.22
Triglyceride 0.98. 0.68
HDL. 1.35 1.65
LDL. 3.51. 3.26
VLDL. 0.45. 0.31
Chol/. 3.93. 3.16
HDL ratio

Lowered my triglyceride, LDL and cholesterol/ HDL ratio. Increased HDL levels.

I have a family history of high cholesterol so I'm pretty happy with the results.

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Interesting to see VLDL measured and very good HDL (much better than mine!). Your top figure is for total cholesterol? OK, it's very slightly high but that's probably because your LDL is not quite in the optimal range. Are you actively trying to increase the proportion of 'good' fats and are you also doing additional exercise?

modesty007 said:

Happy to hear you use butter. I would stay away from groundnut oil, because of high in omega 6. Have you tried ordering deodoraised coconut oil, online if well produced still a very good option.

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I don't feel the need to eliminate Omega 6, just rebalance my consumption by altering the proportion of Omega 6 with the other essential fatty acid types in other oils by reducing Omega 6 consumption and increasing the others, including saturated fats. But I do see more benefit in increasing consumption of top quality olive oils and rapeseed oils (olive oil for uncooked uses in salad dressings and home made mayonnaise and rapeseed for both). Groundnut oil is relatively low in Omega 6, much lower than sunflower oil, which is what I was using before and is much more stable in a deep-fat fryer (which is actually not that relevant to me as I don't currently consume much of what is cooked in the fryer). I'm interested in debate and I don't close the door to anything but so far this is what I see after doing the research.

Bluetit1802 said:

I just use cold pressed British rapeseed oil for frying and deep frying. (steer away from any not British, especially if it is labelled as canola oil, as some other countries manufacture it differently). I also use butter for some things, such as mushrooms.

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I haven't come across a cold pressed rapeseed oil that really works for deep fat frying as none of us like the taste. In a frying pan it's OK, especially if a little butter is added. It works brilliantly in home made mayonnaise as it can neutralise the strong flavour of virgin olive oil, which in turn masks the distinctive cabbagy taste of the rapeseed oil.I use about 35% olive oil, 45% rapeseed oil and 20% something else (currently sunflower oil as I'm using up what we have left, but groundnut oil would be ideal). It's a real challenge to make the mayonnaise though as I mine frequently splits half way through making it! I have developed ace recover skills though... and it usually recoveres nicely

Wurst said:

My trigs and HDL are perfect but LDL is too high. In fact my HDL is way over the normal scales but this is a good thing. I've tried getting the LDL down for at least year but have now been put on statins. No longer believe it is down to my low carb diet but hereditary. I'm going on a full low carb vegetable diet starting today.

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Do let us know how you progress

AndBreathe said:

have you watched the Professor Sikaris presentation below? Within it he describes what happens to LDL on a low carb diet.,:

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Very interesting. Pleased that my Triglyceride is below 1 and my ALT is just inside the normal range - and this was before most of my strategies (diet and exercise) started.

Noted the comment about fasting glucose results being skewed because glucose continues to be depleted in the venous blood sample by the living blood cells between the blood being taken and the lab analysis being done, but I would have thought someone a long time ago would have figured that! My Fasting BG via venous sample was 4.5 and yet I have hardly ever got my meter to go below 5.5. I do think my meter measures high anyway. I'm told at my next consultation that a random BG (using their meter) will be taken and I intend to bring my meter to see how it compares.