Diet for FH people, is Keto dangerous for them?

(Kostas Papadovasilakis) #1

Hi everyone, i watched the amazing documentary about cholesterol and got overwelmed with all this info. The bad is that i have FH, so the tests and results in the documentary aren’t proven to work for me. As i figured people with FH were excluded.

My values before statin, lp-a:127, cholesterol 297, HDL 56, LDL 207, triglyc 85
I have started statin 1 year ago, had some muscle pain and i started CoQ10 also to help myself.
I am 45 years old and my body is not fat , nor skinny, with no health problems so far, don’t do much exercise though.
Before statin, I tried eating garlics, honey , chia and more staff, proven to lower cholesterol for about 2 months, but due to FH, nothing worked. In reality the values went worst.

My main concern is plaque in arteries and possible future heart problems, since i had no serious answers that i could avoid statin somehow. I am afraid of statin and what can do to you, but i am afraid of plaque and death more.

Do we have people with FH, that can help me out? What diet worked for them? Have they done a scan to prove it keeps then at low risk state?

Thanks

(Ohio ) #2

What is FH?

(Kostas Papadovasilakis) #3

Oh sorry, I thought it is well known to you. Family heritage. It means I get high values of cholesterol since birth with no dietary reason

(Christian) #4

Am I right?
FH = Familial Hypercholesterolemia

(Kostas Papadovasilakis) #5

Guess so, :smile:. The point is the same.

(Bob M) #6

It’s a genetic condition where people have higher LDL (mainly, since it seems to be the only thing anyone cares about).

I believe keto would be good for those with FH, though I highly doubt there’s a study indicating the same. Keto helps create a better metabolic environment, which is helpful.

It would be interesting to see what happens with your readings. Keto does not cause LDL to increase for many. For some, it does.

I have no idea what would happen with people with FH though.

(Christian) #7

I’m one of those people diagnosed with FH. I have a diagnosed genetic defect in the LDL receptor. I followed a keto diet for a few years (2018 - 2020), but then stopped, and now I’m back on it.

I do take statins and also have symptoms of atherosclerosis. There’s a significant cluster of these cases in my family, but not everyone develops atherosclerosis.

Statistical studies are needed on this topic. I don’t believe the keto diet is harmful if you have FH. Check out the book by Ivor Cummins and Jeffry Gerber, Eat Rich Live Long; it has good information on this topic.

(Christian) #8

Just to put your mind at ease, an aunt of mine with the same genetic condition lived to be 93 before she died from a different condition.

(John Bradshaw) #9

Take a look at Dr Ovadia (heart surgeon) on YouTube, also Dr Brett Scher (cardiologist) on Metabolic Mind YouTube channel. There is a LOT of myth surrounding heart disease and cholesterol.

(Kostas Papadovasilakis) #10

Thanks for replying, that was my message for. To find people who are at the same page with me.

The thing I liked in the "Cholesterol Code’, is that they went from ‘believe’, to official results and proofs.
They proved that cholesterol, isn’t the cause and that it also can help clean your body in specific circumstances (Keto diet).

Because FH people were excluded, no given proof for us unfortunatelly and it worried me that they excluded us. Is it because they were afraid of bad results, maybe it doesn’t work the same way on FH people?

That’s the reason i try to reach FH people, to knowledge their experiences and if they had any scans to see how their body responded to keto. I believe all people with FH, would want that.

(Christian) #11

So there are differences even among those with FH. I estimate that about 50% of my relatives on my grandfather’s side (father of the father) have FH and the same genetic defect. However, their total cholesterol levels vary widely—ranging from 300 to 800. Mine is around 400–500 without medication. One cousin even undergoes lipid apheresis.

I started developing xanthomas in my early 20s. That happens when the body no longer knows what to do with all the cholesterol and deposits it somewhere in the body. That’s why I agree to statins to lower my levels. Vitamin B3 and other newer medications can also help lower the levels.

In 2018, I had a

CACS (Coronary Artery Calcium Scan)

done; the score was ~150. Unfortunately, I can’t say how that has changed over the years. I don’t have enough experience with the keto diet, and radiation exposure from the CAC scan also needs to be taken into account.

(Marcia T) #12

Check out Nick Horowitz who is FH, a researcher from Harvard, and who’s also an MD, PhD - he’s got a lot of videos on the web and I think you may get some good ideas about how to handle your “problem” (hint - not with statins . . .).