I’ve been keto almost full Carnivore for two years and my last bloods showed a 196 on LDL my doc is advising statins which I am really not keen on taking 

clearly I am concerned as a 56 year old guy ! I am booking a calcium heart scan  but no family history of heart issues 

any input on this would be appreciated btw my HDL is 81 

196 is not considered high LDL in the keto-carnivore community. It's also the general advice of keto-carnivore doctors to get your CAC score and if it's zero, then you shouldn't worry about a thing.

I have a meeting to attend but I will try to remember to come back and cite some references later.

What is the CAC? 

I had the exact same conversation today with my primary doctor. Mine is 187. 

He is thrilled with the results from the carnivore approach but gave me the 'fatty meats' spiel and encouraged me to go the same route nut lower the fats and make the proteins leaner like chicken and fish (ditching the skin on the chicken which sort of defeats the purpose of eating chicken in the first place)

Overall, he was supportive of the approach but suggested a mild shift. 

I tried statins in 2018 and had a number of issues. I hit just about all the advertised side effects and when I came off after a week the issues remained and even worsened. I spiraled downward and after two to three months of testing I was diagnosed with NMO/SD. 

The discussion then and now was whether the statins was the trigger for the underlying issue or the underlying (NMO/SD) manifested to all the outwardly symptoms at once. A few years later he recommended medicine for the cholesterol, but I could not gamble on it being a trigger.

Same boat today. 

Reading all I can tonight. LOL

Scott

I'm  gonna say this....

F°•☆ statins and the Dr that PUSHES this crap if all your metabolic markers are good. 

What's your triglyceride/hdl ratio?

High triglycerides and high hdl I have concerns but if your hdl/triglyceride ratio is 1.0> tell your doctor go ahead and prescribe, but just don't fill it after you leave. 

Edited October 10, 20241 yr by Meathead

Watch this video 

 

 

37 minutes ago, Scott F. said:

What is the CAC? 

Basically a test that can tell you if there is any HARD plaque in your carotid BUT cannot tell you if there is soft plaque (the stuff you need to worry about).

On my last blood test my total cholesterol count was 269. 
LDL (which is technically not a cholesterol) was 190. 
Triglycerides were 66.
HDL was 66. 
Like Scott, my doctor is thrilled with my progress but also preaches low fat. He just doesn’t understand the significance of eating a high fat diet when you don’t eat carbohydrates. 
He also wants me on a statin but here’s why I will not go on a statin. They don’t do anything for your health. Absolutely nothing. 
If you have had a heart attack they may provide some benefit according to a carnivore cardiologist I listened to but they can only extend your life by 3-5 days. Sorry but that’s just not worth the side affects of that drug.
Now let’s look at LDL. High LDL does not cause or contribute to cardiovascular disease. There has never been any evidence to prove otherwise. 
Now you didn’t post up your HDL and triglycerides. Those are the real indicators of cardiovascular risk.             Ideally we want our Triglycerides to be less than 100 our HDL greater than 50. We then divide the triglycerides by the HDL to get our relative risk. We are looking for a number less than 2 and preferably less than 1.5. 
When you do the math on my ratio it comes out to a 1. I’ll take that all day long.

I’m not the least bit concerned about my cholesterol because it’s normal on a carnivore diet because as we are using fat for fuel there is naturally going to be more cholesterol running around in the blood stream and that’s a good thing.

I have a heart condition that appears to have been reversed by eating carnivore and my cardiologist whole heartedly supports my diet. He has taken me off of all my medications and says I’ve done more to heal myself than anything he could have done for me. He has also put me on a once a year visit just to see how I’m doing.
You can do what you want Gary it’s totally up to you but I would like to encourage you to not fear the the fat. It’s what our lifestyle is all about. 
I will also add, do not let your doctor pressure you into doing something that you don’t want to do. This is your life and your health and you are in charge. 
Make informed decisions. 
Good luck Gary and welcome to Carnivore Talk. 
 

Another thing to note is our bodies produce (self made not outside influence) 80% of our LDL, the brain is made of/uses 10% of our LDL. 

This explains as to why vegans/vegetarians act the way they do. 

Another thing to note is our bodies produce (self made not outside influence) 80% of our LDL, the brain is made of/uses 10% of our LDL. 
This explains as to why vegans/vegetarians act the way they do. 

Spot on!


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My triglycerides are 75, my LDL is 187 and my HDL is 37. My total cholesterol is 219.

@Geezy. Understanding everyone is different and results are individualistic. If I can ask, how long did it take you to from "needing medicine" til your numbers (you) felt like you no longer needed the medicine? If that is none of my business, hit me with a NUNYA. 

My doctor recommended a non-statin type medicine. I won't risk the statin again as I have been basically healthy since 2019 and I still feel like the statin was the trigger for the onset of the auto-immune issues. I may be medically wrong, but it is just the way I see it (felt it, lived it).

I feel like I am on good path and I sort of hate to rock the boat. 

Scott

 

Wow am relieved to hear from many in the same boat and in just 24 hours of reviewing so many keto and carnivore Doctors vlogs who have really dug down on the subject I am left feeling angry at my providers pressing the statins etc

my total is 305

HDL 96 Triglycerides 81 LDL 196

1 hour ago, Scott F. said:

I feel like I am on good path and I sort of hate to rock the boat. 

Let me rock the boat, capsize, mutiny 😆. 

I'm not as tactful when pushed but results are quick. 

51 minutes ago, Garrylocky68 said:

HDL 96 Triglycerides 81 LDL 196

Dr Chaffee, Dr Barry, Dr Cywes have extensive information about lipids, statins.  You must do the research and only you can make the decision after your conclusion on pro/con use of statins.

My profile pic expresses my feelings on Healthcare, government  etc.

 

 

Welcome aboard @Garrylocky68.

Enjoy the ride. 

Edited October 11, 20241 yr by Meathead

12 hours ago, Scott F. said:

If I can ask, how long did it take you to from "needing medicine" til your numbers (you) felt like you no longer needed the medicine?

Not a problem Scott. This is an open forum and we can only help each other when we are open and honest. 
Anyways, I never had a moment when I “felt” like I didn’t need my medicine although I did wonder if I didn’t need it anymore. It was actually my cardiologist that made the decisions based solely on my what my body was doing. In the first three or four months he took me off of the Metropol because it was taking my blood pressure too low. When it hit 75/54 he said get off of that NOW. My diet had brought my BP down to normal levels and the medication was bringing it down too low artificially. 
After that my cardiologist made the decision to cut my second medication (Flecinide) in half at about the 6th or 8th month because I was doing so well with losing weight and getting healthy. My EEG’s were coming out perfect. My heart palpitations and PVC’s were down from 8-12 a day to maybe once a day. 
After another six months he took me off of the medication completely because after a year I was still improving and it looked like I could maintain my eating lifestyle. My palpitations are reduced to maybe one or two a week and they are so mild I barely notice them. 
My cardiologist said that I have done more to heal myself than anything he could have done for me. He has also put me on a once a year schedule now. 
He also knows that I’m carnivore and is just thrilled with my progress and results. 
None of this was my decision but his because of the results he was seeing. 
 

Your cholesterol numbers are just fine, in fact your HDL to Triglycerides ratio is good at a 2 and shows no indication of cardiovascular risk. It would be better if it were less than 1.5 but 2 is still good. 
Give your diet more time and it souls get there. 
I can’t tell you what to do as it’s all your decision but your numbers are similar to mine and there is no way that I would be willing to take any kind of medication for my cholesterol when it’s just fine the way it is. Every study I’ve seen on the subject showed that those with low cholesterol were at a greater risk for all cause mortality and those with higher cholesterol, especially in my age range tend to live longer. I’m not a gambler but I’ll take those odds. 

Edited October 12, 20241 yr by Geezy

11 hours ago, Garrylocky68 said:

HDL 96 Triglycerides 81 LDL 196

That’s fantastic! You’ve got nothing to worry about. You are at less than 1. 
Keep rockin on man. 👍

For more information on what causes cardiovascular diseases and what doesn’t.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Avoid the doctor that only talks about LDL, he is trying to sell you something. LDL is a poor marker for heart disease, let's let the myth die right here. 

Sort of the same boat here. I just quit my statins,a heavy max dose for years.

My numbers will get high I know. I measure my sugar and ketones every couple of weeks but I do not intend to get a cholesterol measuring gadget. Adds stress only.

I rather have my legs and metabolism back than a low LDL number that does not correlate to my health in any way. And it won´t even get low enough,no matter what.

Next meeting with doc will be exiting. Doc is okay but very anti-fat. I know he will say I´m killing myself. Hoping he is wrong.

Edited January 14Jan 14 by Carburetor

I'm sort of in the same boat. 

My family doctor has been genuinely supportive of the diet. I think if I had told him about my plans from Day 1 he would not have been as supportive. I let him in on the diet after I had dropped a bunch of weight and told him I had been off my medicine for several months. 

He gave me a non-statin sample as he was concerned with my LDL number in the 180's. He gave me the 'separate your eggs' instruction and eat meats that are leaner/less fatty. I chose to not use the medicine and continue with meats, salt and water. 

Maybe one of the funnies, is afterwards I shifted into eating to gain muscle so the egg content per day went way up. 3 months later my LDL dropped from the 180's to the 150's, about 35 points. I will admit, I had become accepting of the fact my eating habits might drive my numbers up some, and mostly I was worried they would skyrocket with the additional fatty meats and eggs. When the LDL dropped, I was pleasantly surprised, but equal to that was my confusion. 

My lifting has increased and are higher in intensity, weight and over-all volume compared to just five or six months ago. I just started doing actual splits based on muscle groups. I couple that with eating a boat load of food trying to hit my 'needed protein' for muscle growth, especially eggs, averaging 8 or so a day.

I have an appointment in a few weeks. I'm debating on my approach. Do I lead off with I didn't use the medicine and through diet and more intense exercise my LDL improved? and see where he lands on my approach. Or, do I go thru the motions allowing him to think the prescription is improving some of my numbers?

Decisions. Decisions.

I will have another series of blood tests in a couple months. I'm hoping to see continued improvements in my immunoglobulins numbers as well. 

I'm a 'knock on wood' type when things are going well, so I am knocking on wood and don't want to jinx the progress, but I do feel like for now I am winning.

Pretty good feeling.

Scott

I´m not sure what to tell my doc either.

I could list about fifteen things that are better in my life now, with ketovore diet,including having cut BP meds much lower and quit Statin. I could let doc believe that meds have miraculously healed me... without mentioning quitting some...

But then there is LDL- It will be high especially now in the beginning of keto.  I will get caught for healing myself in a wrong way.

3 hours ago, Carburetor said:

Next meeting with doc will be exiting. Doc is okay but very anti-fat. I know he will say I´m killing myself. Hoping he is wrong.

My doctor is the same but what’s funny is my cardiologist loves what I’m doing and what the diet has done for me. 
 

 

1 hour ago, Scott F. said:

I'm debating on my approach. Do I lead off with I didn't use the medicine and through diet and more intense exercise my LDL improved? and see where he lands on my approach. Or, do I go thru the motions allowing him to think the prescription is improving some of my numbers?

I would be honest with him. We are the randomized control studies that prove this way of eating works. If your doctor thinks that his medication is helping you then he will assume the same thing for the next patient. If you are honest with him then he can monitor your results and see that this works and it just may convince him that this is a viable option to good health.