New study: Keto improves cardiovascular health markers

May 4 2018 by in Cholesterol, Heart disease, Keto, New study, Virta Health

Does a keto diet improve markers for heart health? Virta Health just published more data from their study on a ketogenic diet for people with type 2 diabetes, and the results are in line with earlier studies.

22 of 26 markers of cardiovascular disease risk improved in their patients, many quite significantly. However, there was one exception, the same as in many earlier studies. LDL cholesterol went up a little bit on average.

This is very important to understand, and Virta Health and their team of researchers go into quite some depth to do so:

As mentioned, these results are in line with dozens of earlier studies. A keto diet tends to improve pretty much every single metabolic risk factor for disease… but there is a slight rise in LDL and total cholesterol on average. Is this something to worry about? We don’t know for sure, there are no good data to prove whether it is dangerous, neutral or even beneficial in this situation.

However, to me it is even more interesting to look at this from the other direction. For the last 40 years the medical field has mostly focused on lowering LDL and total cholesterol, using any method including a low-fat (and thus high-carb) diet. There is no high quality evidence that this lifestyle intervention reduces heart attacks or prolongs life. There is data, however, suggesting that a high carb diet can lead to increased weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, HDL, triglycerides and more.

The opposite dietary advice, a low-carb diet, results in improvement of all metabolic risk factors. The new Virta study demonstrates it yet again.

Heart disease and cholesterol

MEMBERS ONLY
The cholesterol network system
22:24
Can you drastically lower your cholesterol, by eating MORE fat?
MEMBERS ONLY
What about cholesterol?
04:14
Dr. Unwin discusses cholesterol on low carb: common improvements and rare cases when cholesterol increases significantly.
Diet Doctor Podcast #9 — Dr. Ron Krauss
55:25
Dr. Ron Krauss helps us understand the nuances beyond LDL-C and how we can use all the available data to help us better understand what we know and do not know about cholesterol.
Cholesterol on keto
27:41
What happens to cholesterol levels on a keto diet? Can weight loss cause increased LDL cholesterol levels? Can resistance training lower LDL cholesterol?
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
How cholesterol really works – Dave Feldman
29:40
Dave Feldman is a software engineer and an entrepreneur with a passion for lipids. In this presentation, he gives us a detailed overview of cholesterol.
Cholesterol on a low-carb diet
35:54
Is the traditional way of thinking about cholesterol outdated – and if so, how should we view the essential molecule instead? How does it respond to different lifestyle interventions in different individuals?
Diet Doctor Podcast #8 – Dave Feldman
56:06
Dave Feldman has done more to call into question the lipid hypothesis of heart disease than practically anyone over the past few decades.
Why high cholesterol is healthy
30:01
Is high cholesterol and LDL dangerous – or could it actually be protective?
Is high cholesterol dangerous on a low-carb diet?
11:22
What does it mean if some parts of one's lipid profile improve, and some become worse on low carb? Dr. Sarah Hallberg answers this question.
Practical lipid management
34:55
How should you think about cholesterol and heart disease? Dr. Cate Shanahan at Low Carb Vail 2016.
Cholesterol: A passenger, not a driver
27:31
Is high LDL cholesterol problematic – even in the presence of low triglycerides?
Diet Doctor Podcast #27 – David Diamond, PhD
1:05:57
Professor David Diamond says you have been misled and deceived when it comes to LDL cholesterol and statins. But he isn't just going to tell you his opinion. He wants to show you the science.
Framingham and the Muddy Waters
33:15
Is there a better way to know if you're at risk for heart disease? Dr. Jeffry Gerber at Low Carb Vail 2016.
LCHF and LDL
28:56
Can a low-carb diet be bad for your cholesterol? Dr. Sarah Hallberg at Low Carb Vail 2016

Keto

MEMBERS ONLY
All things keto with Keto Connect
16:44
What is it like running the very popular YouTube channel Keto Connect?
Exploiting cancer metabolism with ketosis
44:42
Can a ketogenic diet be used in cancer treatment? Dr. Angela Poff at the Low Carb USA 2016.
My success story with Jim Caldwell
02:23
Jim Caldwell has transformed his health and gone from an all-time high at 352 lbs (160 kg) to 170 lbs (77 kg.
A new life with a keto diet
13:38
If your muscles can't use stored glycogen, is it then a good idea to eat a high-carb diet to compensate for this? Or can a keto diet help treat these rare glycogen storage diseases?
LCHF and diabetes: science and clinical experience
45:59
What is the root of the problem in type 2 diabetes? And how can we treat it? Dr. Eric Westman at the Low Carb USA 2016.
Treating cancer with a keto diet
17:07
Can a strict keto diet help prevent or even treat some cancers, like brain cancer?
Diet Doctor Podcast #35 with Ben Bikman, PhD
00:00
Why is insulin so important for us to control and why does a ketogenic diet help so many people? Professor Ben Bikman has studied these questions in his lab for years and he is one of the foremost authorities on the subject.
A life without migraines
15:44
Elena Gross' life was completely transformed with the ketogenic diet.
Challenging the dogma
16:47
Dr. Priyanka Wali tried a ketogenic diet and felt great. After reviewing the science she started recommending it to patients.
80 pounds lighter and no medications
09:12
Is it possible to reverse your diabetes with the help of a strict low-carb diet? Definitely, and Stephen Thompson did it.
"I'll do this or I'm going to die trying"
19:23
Kristie Sullivan struggled with her weight for her whole life in spite of trying every diet imaginable, but then she finally lost a 120 pounds and improved her health on a keto diet.
Low-carb living
1:00:21
How do you successfully eat low carb for life? And what’s the role of ketosis? Dr. Stephen Phinney answers these questions.
Q&A with Miriam Kalamian
15:26
Do cancer patients tolerate chemotherapy better when fasting or being in ketosis?
Diet Doctor Podcast #31 – Dr. Ken Berry
51:26
Dr. Ken Berry wants us all to be aware that much of what our doctors say may be a lie. Maybe not an outright malicious lie, but much of what “we” believe in medicine can be traced back to word-of-mouth teachings without a scientific basis.
Is lower insulin the key to better brain health?
46:36
What is the root cause of the Alzheimer's epidemic – and how should we intervene before the disease is fully developed?
Trouble shooting high blood-glucose levels
34:01
Are you struggling with high blood glucose, even on a ketogenic diet? There are many factors which can have an impact on blood sugar!
My success story with Gillian Szollos
02:55
Gillian had a normal life when she all of a sudden started to get seizures. She suffered terrible side effects from the meds so she started a keto diet.

Earlier

Most viewed BMJ paper 2017: Saturated fat does not clog the arteries

New study: Four weeks on the keto diet leads to big weight loss and improved health markers

30 comments

1
Flamingpie
May 4 2018
The ldl goes up because the liver works harder. If there's already fatty liver, then your ldl will increase. But I wonder if increasing your lemon water or even vegetables will help this in the long run?

Reply: #20
2
Ras Root
May 4 2018
Glysophates from monsantO, g m o ,pestecides,etc. in foods guarantee a non alcoholic fatty liver in the standard a
Merican diet.
3
Jenny A.
May 5 2018
"For the last 40 years the medical field has mostly been focused on lowering LDL and total cholesterol, using any method including a low-fat (and thus high-carb) diet. There is zero proof that this lifestyle intervention does anything good. But we KNOW that every single metabolic risk factor except LDL gets worse on it! This includes weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, HDL, triglycerides and more."

Really? What research have you been reading? So losing 75lbs, off all meds for blood pressure, high cholesterol, a1c finally under 5, hdl, triglycerides, and ldl all in normal range is just a fluke if I gained those results from a high carb low fat diet?? Interesting.

I guess if people are eating low fat processed junk food thinking they are being healthy, I'd agree with you but not all carbs are equal. I do believe those on a keto diet see results but you can't make a blanketed statement another diet not doing any good without sounding like a complete uneducated fool. There are many diets that work well for different people....and they have the blood work and science to back them up as well.
4
Greg B.
May 5 2018
Keto diet is not sustainable in the long run. I know many who have been on slightly different variations of it and none have succeeded long term and regained the weight they lost. I myself found it to be inconvenient for the every day person who is unable to find time to prepare their meals.
Mediterranean diet can work for everyone and is time proven and sustainable for the busy 9 to 5er with a family, and positive cardiovascular properties are documented.
Pepperoni and bacon diets are not the way.

Replies: #12, #15, #33
5
Bob Roberts
May 5 2018
You forgot eggs, omlets, spinach, kale, asparagus, pork sagg etc....oh and Buffalo wings! Mine are almost ready. And Carolyn Ketchum's Italian cream cake for dessert. Keto so hard! I hate feeling so good too

Reply: #21
1 comment removed
7
KC
May 5 2018
Been on keto for 15 months , I stopped my metformin and cholesterol meds cold turkey and lost all the side effects and 60 pounds in six months. A1c down to 5.6 . Triglycerides were 193 and HDL was 38 on meds blood test six months in after losing 60 lbs triglycerides 59 LDL 58. I am no longer diabetic and my doctor had me do a sonogram on my carodic aterties and they are wide open, zero blockage is what the report read. Since reaching my goal weight ( I'm 5'8 160 lbs and 55 years old) I have kept the weight off for year and am keto strong with carb treat/meal once a week. My grandma went to 90 eating bacon and eggs everyday of her life.
8
Kenrick
May 5 2018
My wife and I have been Keto for over 5 years ...it’s very sustainable with a little preplanning and thought. I lost 5 stone in weight and not gained an ounce since ...I am also disabled ( military injuries) and have a very restrictive excercise regime but it’s pounds in the kitchen ounces in the gym!

Meanwhile, my sister in law has been been on at least 3 different commercial diets and followed official guidlines over the same time period and has actually gained more weight, been miserable because of cravings and hunger ...she is now finally going to give Keto a blast ...having seen how much delicious food my wife and I can eat and more importantly how healthy my wife and I are ...

With regard to health...my Keto diet has allowed me to remove fentynyl from my meds and I only now use paracetamol to deal with pain from my injuries, my chronic pain has really disminished since eating Keto, also, my bloods are as good as to be hoped for and my weight induced hypertension has gone ...I truly believe in the anti-inflammatory effect of Keto...ditching grains, starches, vegetable oils and that all important sugar has had a profound effect on my health and well-being for the better ...

Yes, Keto is not as easy as a conventional diet ( it was even harder 5 years ago) as everything outside your front door is designed to be the exact opposite so it can at times feel daunting and unsustainable ...but even eating out now has become easier, we now have a few favourite restaurants that are very acceptable of our eating habits and therefore help out with our meal choices. If we travel etc then the cool box gets packed with Keto goodies ...what Keto really means is that rather than eating mindlessly a little more thought needs to be applied to what fuel you are putting into your body, which in my mind is only a good thing, our bodies our amazing things generally only one use only so we really ought to be respectful of this piece of engineering and try to maintain it , pumping it full of crap it’s not surprising or ideal and by doing so it’s hardly surprising that it starts to cough and splutter like an old clapped out motor.

The question we used to ask ourselves in the very early days when it all seemed so insurmountable is “what is more important to us now?” and every time the resounding answer was that improving and maintaining our health and well being is the most important priority in our lives especially with dealing with my injuries long term...Now the call of junk, convenient processed food has long passed...we hardly ever journey into the central isles of supermarkets anymore and never junk food restaurants!

Ric

Replies: #18, #23
9
cece
May 5 2018
Keto 3 years..healthier than ever . Lost 120 in 8 months, gained none back. Easy way of life.
10
Susan
May 5 2018
No one mentioned the keto diet also helps kids with Autism everyone should watch movie on Netflix how it helped autism,sick people with many different things ailments even cancer.I've been on it since February and lost thirty pounds I feel terrific more energy less bloated and don't miss carbs or sugar at all.
11
Angela Wright
May 9 2018
I’ve been on it for 2 years. I love it! I lost 65 lbs effortlessly in six months and have kept it off. I just turned 60 and feel better than I did in my 40s. It also helped with a host of other issues, i.e. stomach distress and bloat, skin issues, A1C went from 6.3 to 5.1, lipid panel, which was in normal range before start of Keto, actually improved. I felt like my brain was firing on all cylinders instead of just one or two! I enjoy and appreciate my food more now. I never feel hungry, deprived or deal with cravings. I now control my food, it doesn’t control me. I love this way of life...my improved energy, my hot new body (went from a 14 to a 4). I will never go back to my old way of eating. This is my lifestyle.
12
Reply to comment #4 by Greg B.
Leesa
May 9 2018
Greg you obviously don't know the keto diet, it is not a "Pepperoni and bacon diet" I have followed and participated in every diet known and the keto diet was a breath of fresh air. My insulin resistance is gone, my hormones have settled down, I'm finally loosing weight and I'm sleeping a good 8 hrs a night, something I haven't done in years. My husband told me the other day that he feels like he's got the woman he married 37 yrs ago back! I'm happy confident and definitely never going back to the old way of eating,for some, it is truly life changing and totally sustainable. ?
1 comment removed
14
Dave
May 11 2018
I eat more salad and veggies than I ever have since being on keto, of course they are doused with MUFs ? Feel energetic and mentally sharp again and have lost 45 lbs. I have been on Keto for just over a year and no issues with sustainment.
15
Reply to comment #4 by Greg B.
Ruth
July 18 2018
Speak for yourself. Keto is very sustainable, especially when you have gained many health benefits from it. I've not only reversed my diabetes and lost 77 lbs in 12 months, I've also healed my high blood pressure and my diverticulitis is now nonexistent. Of course it's sustainable with results like this! Why would I ever go back to eating crap that makes me unhealthy??

Keto diet is not sustainable in the long run. I know many who have been on slightly different variations of it and none have succeeded long term and regained the weight they lost. I myself found it to be inconvenient for the every day person who is unable to find time to prepare their meals.
Mediterranean diet can work for everyone and is time proven and sustainable for the busy 9 to 5er with a family, and positive cardiovascular properties are documented.
Pepperoni and bacon diets are not the way.
16
Doctordiaz
August 11 2018
Out of fear of becoming diabetic like my parents, grandparents aunts and uncles, I started a lazy Keto 3 months ago. I’ve lost 27lbs, feel great, sharp, energized and almost arthritis free. I find it easy as I like my eggs, meats and cheeses. I go out to eat a lot and always manage to find options. It’s easier for me to sustain as I no longer have the carb and sugar cravings that plagued every other diet I’ve been on.
17
Doctordiaz
August 11 2018
Out of fear of becoming diabetic like my parents, grandparents aunts and uncles, I started a lazy Keto 3 months ago. I’ve lost 27lbs, feel great, sharp, energized and almost arthritis free. I find it easy as I like my eggs, meats and cheeses. I go out to eat a lot and always manage to find options. It’s easier for me to sustain as I no longer have the carb and sugar cravings that plagued me on every other diet I’ve been on.
18
Reply to comment #8 by Kenrick
Jonda
August 16 2018
What a great success story! My husband and I have been following Diet Doctor/Keto/LCHF since Feb. 13, 2017. I have lost 42 lbs. and he, 37. We didn't have that much to lose in the first place, but feeling healthier is so wonderful!. He does have difficulty with extreme tiredness almost constantly. Seems to be a battle for him. I've tried increasing his carb/fat intake but I'm not sure it has helped much if any. He has been on statins for a few years and I'm afraid this is the true culprit. A few days ago he decided to quit taking the statins. We will see how that goes.
19
Leslie
September 4 2018
Also ensure his vitamin D level is at least 40 ng/mL to avoid fatigue. And check iron levels, as that can lead to fatigue as well and can impair the ability to raise vitamin D levels.
20
Reply to comment #1 by Flamingpie
Deborah H
September 13 2018
There is a lot of information on this site that shares many findings of how the methodology of measuring heart health in correlation to fatty lipids in the blood is now becoming an 'old school method.' We are now learning that we should be looking at the metabolic risks factors instead. Meaning we have to look at our system as a whole and how insulin, adrenals, and other systems affect our heart health. LDL is also released into the blood as a waste product when in ketosis. Hence, the LDL has to leave the body and be expelled when it no longer serves the system- very layman way of putting it. Epigenetics is a new frontier in medicine, and even the study of DNA was considered a pseudo-science until we had the proper devices to measure it.
21
Reply to comment #5 by Bob Roberts
Becky
September 18 2018
Yes it is sustainable and worth it!

You just need to take the time to learn it instead of judging it without educating yourself.
22
Debbie
September 20 2018
What’s not sustainable? People go on “diets”, lose weight, go back to their old way of eating and gain it all back.
Keto is a lifestyle. Not a diet. There is so much you CAN eat and be healthy.
23
Reply to comment #8 by Kenrick
Tod McNeal
November 26 2018
Ric thank you so much for your commentary! New to all of this and still in the hospital after blood clots in the long and diagnosed diabetes. Also dealing with blood thinners and special diet for that is going to be required. You have covered most all of this and I am very grateful!

And by the way, thank you for your service sir!
24
Carlo
November 28 2018
Combine it with intermittent fasting should lower the ldl and triglycerides.
1 comment removed
26
Jeremy
February 21 2019
Zero evidence of high carb diet does anything good? Obviously hasn't heard of Dr Dean Ornish or Dr Esselstyn. Both successfully REVERSED active heart disease on HCLF diets. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1973470 and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466936/
27
lisa
February 28 2019
Are there any currently ongoing studies to see if this way of eating is actually good for your overall heart health? I am about 6 weeks into keto life and I love it. Have lost nearly 20 lbs. I just want proof that this is actually helping and not hurting my heart. I'm scared to go see a dr for fear that they will try to scare me out of continuing this way of eating because of their own unfounded fears.

Reply: #28
28
Reply to comment #27 by lisa
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
March 1 2019

Are there any currently ongoing studies to see if this way of eating is actually good for your overall heart health? I am about 6 weeks into keto life and I love it. Have lost nearly 20 lbs. I just want proof that this is actually helping and not hurting my heart. I'm scared to go see a dr for fear that they will try to scare me out of continuing this way of eating because of their own unfounded fears.

Make sure and read the Virta Health articles linked in this one!
29
Carol
March 1 2019
I would love Virta to include CAC (Coronary Artery Calcium) score at the outset of treatment. Since in our case all my husbands Framingham markers were good. But after watching Ivor and Dr Gerber I thought it would be fun to measure his CAC (thinking it would be good) It was in the « catastrophic category ». Work in progress....but we have got it down 300 points in one year ....fix the gut dysfunction, LCHF, IF, K2, mag, Vit D, get more sun.
30
Debra Heinsohn
March 14 2019
After 2 1/2 happy years , I had major blood testing . My concerns were not with how I feel, but those little nay sayers, that keep putting out doubts.
My cholesterol is perfect! I have no trace of plaque. My blood pressure is excellent! I have Terrible Leptin Markers, 573! But my fasting blood sugar is 82. I am not going to be diabetic like my family before me.
Yes, I have lost a lot of weight. But my brain , my body is so much better! 371 to 241. Not where I want to be, but nowhere near where I started. And early member is Diet Doctor! Love Kristie SULLIVAN!
1 comment removed
32
Carol P
November 17 2019
I started the Keto diet, and after only being on the diet for about four weeks and down ten pounds, I went for my annual physical and blood work. My cholesterol was down more then when I was taking statins. My doctor said, "I don't know what you are doing, but keep it up".
I have gone on and off the diet, falling into the negative chatter from others about unhealthy keto is, and I guess I am scared about my arteries being clogged and joining the rest of my family. I am the only surviving member of my family, all gone by heart attacks, and aneurysms, my brother at 52 years young. It is in the family.
I loved the Keto lifestyle and the food was not a problem, as you can eat healthy. My husband has been low carb since before I met him over 40 years ago. He is the picture of health and all his numbers at 69 years old have been perfect. Guess that should say something about the lifestyle. I am going to start back again. I take three blood pressure medications a day, my blood pressure is still very high, my hair is thinning out because of the medication.
I have tried the plant based as well as the Mediterranean diet and I am hungry all the time, that is not good for me.
33
Reply to comment #4 by Greg B.
Wake up dummy
January 30 2020
The only diet that’s sustainable is the one you will stick to..

You can’t make that decision for everyone..
I personally would die on a plant based diet! GROSS!

Btw keto and Mediterranean and lacto ovo pescatarian are literally the same diet!
Focusing on good fats vegetables and animal protein.
34
Hochimin
May 17 2020
c. In 2016 the drug manufacturer Eli Lilly wrote of $90 millions of research and development costs after its new drug evacetrapib failed to prevent one single case of heart attack, stroke, by-pass surgery, or angina—even though it successfully doubled levels of ‘good’ cholesterol and lowered ‘bad’ cholesterol. [i] Pfizer’ $800 million failure of the Cholesterol Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) inhibitor torcetrapib, actually increased the rate of cardiovascular deaths and disease despite lowering bad cholesterol levels. Pfizer’s PCSK9 inhibitor called bococizumab, also a failure at a warping cost of $300 million, was scrapped after the group of patients taking the drug experienced higher number of deaths than the group on a placebo;[ii] [iii] even though, the drug reduced the bad cholesterol by 60%.[iv] Comment: It seems to me that more than a billion dollars spent on research resulted in the same conclusion, increasing the good cholesterol and lowering the bad showed no benefits and moreover, some studies’ participants experienced sudden deaths. All these end results seems to confirm that the good/bad cholesterol theory has proven to be a VERY COSTLY SHAM.
[i] https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2015/10/12/eli-lillys-good...
[ii] http://www.cardiobrief.org/2017/08/08/pharma-phantasy-the-30-billion-...
[iii] https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT01975376
[iv] https://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i44/Pfizer-discontinues-work-bococizu...

Heart disease and cholesterol

Keto

Earlier

30 comments

Leave a reply Cancel reply