Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast

The Best Diet for Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Oct 12, 2023

08:51

Snipd AI

The podcast discusses the best diet for familial hypercholesterolemia, challenging the current dietary guidelines and highlighting the benefits of a low-carb diet. It emphasizes the importance of factors beyond cholesterol in assessing heart health. Natural remedies for cholesterol problems are also mentioned.

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Quick takeaways

Lowering cholesterol and saturated fats may not improve outcomes for individuals with genetic cholesterol problems like familial hypercholesterolemia.

A low-carb diet has been found to improve cardiovascular disease biomarkers, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and inflammation.

Deep dives

Rethinking Dietary Recommendations for Genetic Cholesterol Problems

Contrary to conventional wisdom, research suggests that lowering cholesterol and saturated fats may not improve outcomes for individuals with genetic cholesterol problems like familial hypercholesterolemia. Despite conventional recommendations, individuals with genetic cholesterol problems still face a significant risk of dying from heart attacks. An additional study comparing low-fat and low-carb diets revealed that the low-carb group had a significantly lower risk of heart attacks, despite consuming three times the amount of saturated fat. Rather than focusing solely on lowering cholesterol, managing risk factors like obesity, insulin resistance, and high blood pressure through a low-carb diet may yield better outcomes.

Introduction

2min

Reevaluating the Strategy for Lowering Cholesterol

4min

Optimizing Diet for Familial Hypercholesterolemia

2min

Managing Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Recommendations and Indicators

2min

Today we’re going to talk about the best diet for familial hypercholesterolemia.

With this condition, a person has 50 percent of the LDL receptors than usual, which means they have a higher risk of a buildup of LDL.

The top signs of familial hypercholesterolemia are fat deposits on the Achilles tendons, wrists, or eyelids and a condition called arcus senilis, which is whitening around the iris.

Key points from an important study:

• The current dietary guidelines for the management of coronary heart disease in familial hypercholesterolemia are based on outdated and unsupported information.

• There’s no evidence to support the recommendations of consuming a low saturated fat diet or low cholesterol diet, which are given to individuals with a genetic cholesterol problem.

• A low-carb diet was found to significantly improve cardiovascular disease biomarkers.

• There is sufficient rationale for conducting clinical trials to assess the effects of a low-carb diet on familial hypercholesterolemia individuals with insulin resistance.

It may be good to question if lowering the cholesterol and saturated fats in your diet is the best strategy to focus on. But talk to your doctor before making any changes to your diet or medications.

In my opinion, people with high cholesterol should focus more on lowering their carbs rather than saturated fat or cholesterol.

Natural remedies for cholesterol problems:

1. Get on the Healthy Keto® diet

2. Do intermittent fasting

3. Take red yeast extract

4. Take policosanol

5. Take niacin

6. Exercise

7. Consume garlic

8. Consume tocotrienols

DATA:

https://ebm.bmj.com/content/26/6/295