Until fairly recently one of the myths surrounding low-carb eating was that it must increase cholesterol tremendously. This seems a logical conclusion. After all, the stereotype is one of eating only fatty meats and cream. Although far from being the case, we do know that one eats a much higher level of fat on a low-carb plan than on a low fat or even a “balanced” diet. Yet we are starting to see studies come out which refute this myth and show that on low-carb plans HDL (the “good” cholesterol) normally increases and triglycerides (a component often implicated with risk of diabetes and heart disease) decrease, with little change to LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) levels.

How is this possible? We have been ingrained with the idea that fat equals cholesterol and cholesterol equals heart disease. But how accurate is this? All animal sources of protein have cholesterol in them. It is true that increasing one’s consumption of these might add to one’s total cholesterol in a minimal way. But as it turns out, your body (primarily the liver) makes the vast majority of cholesterol that's in you. Cholesterol is responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of your cells and without it you could not live. The body self-regulates its levels of cholesterol. If you increase your consumption of high-cholesterol foods, the liver will make less. Likewise if you decrease consumption of these foods, the body will make more to compensate. This is why it’s extremely difficult to lower one’s cholesterol level simply by eating less cholesterol-rich foods, or even fatty foods, and why doctors have resorted to strong medications that have serious potential side effects. So then why do some people have “high” cholesterol and others don’t? Part of this may be genetic, and there are those who have clinically stratospheric levels for no apparent reason. Another part thought is that unhealthy cholesterol levels may simply be a symptom of other health problems. Thus bending over backwards to just treat a symptom of a much more serious underlying problem is wrong-headed to say the least!

Many people recognize now that it isn’t total cholesterol that one has to worry about but rather the various subparts or ratios between these subparts. The medical community is fixated on LDL, which happens to be the only subpart of cholesterol that actually has been shown to be significantly affected by cholesterol-lowering medications. Yet lowering LDL levels has never been shown clinically to equate to a decrease in mortality. This may have to do with a very important concept that few people – even doctors it seems – have any awareness of. There are actually subparts within the subpart called LDL. There are smaller, denser particles and larger “fluffier” particles. The smaller, denser particles have been linked to higher risk of heart disease whereas the “fluffier” particles aren’t. This is why LDL level as a risk factor is meaningless unless one knows one’s breakdown, which requires an special test that very few labs perform.

Should we discount cholesterol entirely then? Triglicerides are still considered by most to be an important indicator of health, and it has also been show that HDL can be protective. Dr.’s Michael and Mary Dan Eades, the authors of Protein Power, maintain a ratio of Triglicerides to HDL of less than 5 indicates little or no heart disease risk, and an optimal ratio of is under 2. Dr. Uffe Ravnksov of Sweden, author of “The Cholesterol Myths” simply believes that cholesterol has been a red herring that the scientific press has held onto despite much opposing evidence. The key might be to simply use them as one of the many potential indicators of health, and not as something to be ruled by.

What do people normally experience with cholesterol levels on low-carb plans? Aside from the hard data now being collected by various studies, anecdotally, there are some commonalities and some things that differ depending on the individual. Many people have large drops in total cholesterol and even LDL in a relatively short number of months. Many others initially have increased levels of cholesterol when first starting. This tends to be disturbing because of all the negative press surrounding cholesterol. Immediately we think that our arteries must be clogging up! Mostly, though, this is a temporary phenomenon that reverses itself within 6-12 months. Most people also see a slow but steady increase in HDL. The most dramatic change, and the one seen by almost all people on a low-carb plan, is that of Trigliceride levels. Normally a marked decrease in these levels is seen within as little as several weeks! Of course all of these changes are beneficial if anything, and yet another reason why low carb plans are not just about losing weight but about potentially gaining great health benefits.