On this episode of The Ask Prof Noakes Podcast we chat to Prof. Tim Noakes about the increase in cholesterol results whilst on the LCHF diet and get some indication as to what could possibly be causing this increase in cholesterol when the weight is going down.

Weight down but cholesterol up?

Angie submitted her question to be answered on this episode of The Ask Prof Noakes Podcast. She has had some great results on the Banting or LCHF Diet. She started in August 2014, to date she has lost 17 kilograms which is superb.

She has had a general check-up done prior to commencing, which included her blood pressure, her fasting glucose as well as her non-fasting cholesterol with all the results in the normal range.

At her two month check-up in October, all her stats have increased. while they are still within normal range she would like to know what the reason could be for the increase in blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose?

Prof Tim Noakes: That is very unusual. Normally it is the opposite that all those things improve and so I cannot imagine why that should happen.

I do not know if it is an anxiety response, particularly your blood pressure measurement.

What you should do if your vitals are up on the LCHF Diet

What I would suggest to Angie is that she should check her blood pressure at home by herself and see if she did not have an anxiety result. The other results are surprising that you can lose so much weight and they do not improve.

Glucose should come down and insulin should come down and certainly, cholesterol can go up a little bit and I am surprised, I was expecting her to say that her cholesterol went up and that was causing her concern but everything else went down.

I think Angie, you should just hold on and give it another four months and repeat the tests. A lot of things change in your body when you lose so much weight and just hold off for the testing till later.

Again, I think that really the reason why we do this in the end is because we feel so much better and we have so much more energy and losing 17 kilograms, is massive, it is going to have massive benefits on your health.

The fact that you cannot detect that yet in your blood tests does not worry me. You will find the results; they will change in the future.