New study: Keto improves cardiovascular health markers
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:
- Virta: Virta Health changing status quo in chronic disease care with strong cardiovascular outcomes from type 2 diabetes reversal study
- Virta: Improving cardiovascular disease risk factors with the Virta treatment
- Virta: Blood lipid changes with a well-formulated ketogenic diet in context: understanding the total risk ‘forest’ rather than focusing on the ‘LDL tree’
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
![The cholesterol network system]()
![What about cholesterol?]()
![Diet Doctor Podcast #9 — Dr. Ron Krauss]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The great cholesterol myth]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Cholesterol on keto]()
![How cholesterol really works – Dave Feldman]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Cholesterol on a low-carb diet]()
![Why high cholesterol is healthy]()
![Diet Doctor Podcast #8 – Dave Feldman]()
![Is high cholesterol dangerous on a low-carb diet?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Practical lipid management]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Cholesterol: A passenger, not a driver]()
![Diet Doctor Podcast #27 – David Diamond, PhD]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Framingham and the Muddy Waters]()
![LCHF and LDL]()
![Diet Doctor Podcast #29 – Dr. Spencer Nadolsky]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Dietary fat and cardiovascular disease]()
Keto
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Eating keto to survive cancer]()
![All things keto with Keto Connect]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Exploiting cancer metabolism with ketosis]()
![My success story with Jim Caldwell]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Treating cancer with a keto diet]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![A new life with a keto diet]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![LCHF and diabetes: science and clinical experience]()
![Diet Doctor Podcast #35 with Ben Bikman, PhD]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![A life without migraines]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Challenging the dogma]()
![Diet Doctor Podcast #31 – Dr. Ken Berry]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
!["I'll do this or I'm going to die trying"]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![80 pounds lighter and no medications]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Low-carb living]()
![My success story with Gillian Szollos]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Q&A with Miriam Kalamian]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Is lower insulin the key to better brain health?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Trouble shooting high blood-glucose levels]()
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