Does Keto Affect Cholesterol Levels?

Does Keto Affect Cholesterol Levels?

Ever wondered why in the last 70 years, people have developed more cholesterol issues than ever before? A long line of soybean, sunflower oil advertisements promising lowered cholesterol levels tell us this tale very clearly.

Those who came before us noticed a fundamental shift in the food industry. Grains started at the top of the food pyramid when it made an appearance 9,000 years ago. However, from the 1950s, there was a shift towards a low fat, modified carbohydrate diet.

Thus, began an over-arching propaganda of ‘fat hating’, that was and still is pushed around by companies. Overflowing shelves with low-fat alternatives have deeply wired our minds to think of butter and ghee as mortal enemies. So, no wonder you have major doubts when keto comes into picture and tells you that fats are the good guys.

Sometimes inherited, but often a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices, increasing cholesterol levels make you frown. Eating any kind of good fats can affect cholesterol levels of your body. LDL (bad cholesterol) increases temporarily in the initial stages and then subsides over a period of doing a good ketogenic diet.

LDL has two patterns – pattern A and pattern B. Pattern B consists of fat molecules which get oxidized faster, hence showing a slight increase in LDL in the initial stage of keto. However, it is not a cause to worry as your cholesterol starts to lower down in the longer run. On the other hand, keto increases HDL (good cholesterol) levels in your body.

In a bid to measure good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, we often glimpse over another indication of fat – triglycerides. These are not favorable for your body and need to be regularly assessed in blood reports and guess what, a long-term ketogenic diet, helps push these bad boys down.

If you’re someone who has a history of cholesterol problems and are on statin drugs, it is suggested to consult a doctor before doing keto.

So, let me know what you think, and together we can show cholesterol, who is the boss.

P.S. Keto is the boss.