The Study
Carbohydrate Restriction-Induced Elevations in LDL-Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis
This study looks at two groups of people — some on a keto diet with very high cholesterol and others with normal cholesterol — and checks their heart arteries for plaque. It found no difference in plaque between them, but because it didn’t randomly assign people to diets, we can’t say the keto diet caused no harm or benefit — only that there’s no link seen here.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at healthy, lean people who eat a keto diet and have very high cholesterol. It checked if they had more plaque in their heart arteries than similar people with normal cholesterol.
Where does this study sit?
Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control
Max 58Cross-Sectional
Max 44Case Reports & Series
Max 30Expert Opinion
Max 547 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even very high LDL from a keto diet may not lead to more heart plaque in healthy, lean people over nearly 5 years.
- 280 keto eaters had LDL up to 591 mg/dL.
- 3Their heart plaque levels were not higher than 80 others with LDL around 123 mg/dL.
- 4Half had zero plaque in both groups.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
JACC: Advances
Year
2024
Authors
Matthew J. Budoff, V. Manubolu, A. Kinninger, Nicholas G. Norwitz, D. Feldman, T. Wood, J. Fialkow, Ricardo C. Cury, T. Feldman, Khurram Nasir
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.