‘I went vegan and my cholesterol went up’ - med student explains food swap impact

From gloucestershirelive.co.uk

One med student put his own body to the test to explain a common reason why cholesterol may rise

A Harvard medical student has told of the surprising effect switching from meat eating to a vegan diet had on his health. YouTuber Nick Norowitz shared his latest experiment with his 129,000 subscribers as he shifted from his near-carnivore diet to a complete vegan-keto meal plan for a week.

The 28-year-old revealed that the vegan lifestyle made his stomach “pretty upset” but he expected this as he’s previous attempts to go vegan have resulted in similar reactions. He explained this is simply due to his personal gut microbiome.

However he stuck by the diet to see the impact it would have on his LDL cholesterol levels. After a week of vegan protein powders, green vegetables, tofu and a slight cheat with some dark chocolate, the results were in.

While Nick had lost 4.2lbs on the vegan-keto diet, his cholesterol levels went up by a whopping 14%, surprising even the doctor as he had expected a slight rise but not one this dramatic. This rise was also despite eating no cholesterol as well as more fibre and less saturated fats than when he was on the carnivore diet a week prior.

The Harvard med student explained that calories have a bigger impact on cholesterol than people may know (Image: GETTY)

He explained that the cholesterol spike is actually due to the weight loss as a result of a shift in calories. On the carnivore-esque diet Nick consumed 3,479 calories a day which dropped to 2,054 per day on the vegan-keto diet which caused him to lose weight in the short-term and increased his cholesterol.

The Oxford graduate explained: "The leaner the person is, the higher their LDL goes up, all things being equal." He highlighted other scientific studies noting that as a person’s BMI decreases, their LDL increases particularly skyrocketing when a person hits the lean category on BMI charts.

Nick continued: “When lean people shift from carb-burning to fat burning, the liver makes more cholesterol containing particles to traffic around that fuel, glucose, to fuel muscles. The leaner you are and the more active you are, the greater the demands on this system and the higher your LDL goes up on a ketogenic diet.”

In comparison, the med student claimed the saturated fats and cholesterol you consume have a “meagre” impact on your LDL cholesterol levels. Nick noted that he’s not trying to change what his viewers eat, but rather encourage them to “think more deeply” about the personalised systems at play in their bodies, claiming that “everlasting metabolic curiosity” would serve them better than any superfood or supplement.

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/health/i-went-vegan-cholesterol-went-9744746