Concerned about your cholesterol on the keto diet? Should you be concerned?

First and foremost, high levels of cholesterol don’t necessarily correlate with dietary cholesterol.

One thing to keep in mind is that cholesterol isn’t the end-all-be-all anymore. Studies are showing that good health is becoming more dependant on inflammation in the cells and inflammation in the arteries, and this is becoming the true problem.

There’s actually a study that was published in the lipids and archives of internal medicine journal. It took a look at the keto diet, cholesterol, and low carb diets in general, and it found that on the keto diet, there was an elevation in what’s know as the smaller particles of cholesterol. It found a decrease in the larger gross particles of cholesterol (the larger particles are the ones that could be the problem).

Just remember to keep in mind that there are different kinds of LDL cholesterol, it’s not just one like it is commonly believed to have. Some of them are good and some of them are bad.

Cholesterol Levels During Fat Loss

So, what ends up happening on a keto diet is that your body starts to release it’s stored fat.

Your cholesterol levels go up… something you may have noticed once you have started a keto diet.

You notice that all of a sudden your cholesterol levels are a little bit higher than normal. Like most people, you start thinking it’s the eggs that you’re eating, or you start thinking that it’s the fat that you’re consuming.

That is the wrong way to think. It’s ACTUALLY the fat that your body is burning and utilizing that’s getting into your bloodstream. You literally have fat going into your bloodstream because your body is burning it at such a fast rate on the keto diet.

You might find that as you slowly start losing less weight your cholesterol levels come back down to a normal level since there’s a direct correlation. In most cases, you to be concerned there.

Quick tip: Check your triglyceride levels, if your triglyceride levels remain high all the time, it means you’re not synthesizing ketones and the ketogenic diet may not be for you. A good percentage of people that do the keto diet find that their triglyceride levels come down very low, so make sure you are checking on them, if necessary.

Quick Recap

Your cholesterol levels will be affected by starting the keto diet, but not for the reasons you may be thinking of. It’s not the eggs, and it’s not the animal fats you are eating. It is actually YOUR fat getting into your bloodstream that is affecting your cholesterol levels. 

*Results and cholesterol may vary so consult a doctor and take my advice lightly. See my disclosure below. 

Remember that I’m not a doctor and even though I have some experience with this and some knowledge, I’m not a doctor. If you have chronic high levels of cholesterol, you should be getting regular blood work, and take anything I say about this lightly because it is just a general approach. Consult a doctor before taking any action.

Disclosure
Remember that I’m not a doctor and even though I have some experience with this and some knowledge, I’m not a doctor. If you have chronic high levels of cholesterol, you should be getting regular blood work, and take anything I say about this lightly because it is just a general approach. Consult a doctor before taking any action.