Why your butter toast might raise your cholesterol
Habitual low carbohydrate high fat diet compared with omnivorous, vegan, and vegetarian diets
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
LCHF dieters had the worst diet quality (lowest HEI-2015 score) of all groups—even worse than omnivores.
People assume vegan or vegetarian diets are the only unhealthy ones—but LCHF, often marketed as 'clean eating,' scored lowest due to lack of whole grains, fruits, and healthy fats.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re on LCHF, swap butter, cheese, and bacon for olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fatty fish to lower LDL.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
LCHF dieters had the worst diet quality (lowest HEI-2015 score) of all groups—even worse than omnivores.
People assume vegan or vegetarian diets are the only unhealthy ones—but LCHF, often marketed as 'clean eating,' scored lowest due to lack of whole grains, fruits, and healthy fats.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re on LCHF, swap butter, cheese, and bacon for olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fatty fish to lower LDL.
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Nutrition
Year
2023
Authors
N. Bogataj Jontez, S. Kenig, K. Šik Novak, A. Petelin, Z. Jenko Pražnikar, N. Mohorko
Related Content
Claims (6)
It’s not just about eating less fat or less carbs—it’s more about whether the foods you eat are healthy (like veggies and whole grains) or unhealthy (like sugary snacks and processed meats).
People eating low-carb, high-fat food have about the same blood fat, sugar, and inflammation levels as those eating plant-based or meat-inclusive diets, so it doesn’t seem to hurt their short-term metabolism or blood sugar.
People who eat a lot of fat and very few carbs tend to have higher cholesterol numbers than those who eat plant-based or mixed diets, and more than 7 in 10 of them have cholesterol levels that doctors consider too high—especially if they’re eating super low-carb.
If you eat a lot of fat and very few carbs for half a year or more, the saturated fats in your diet tend to raise your bad cholesterol, while the monounsaturated fats might lower it — together, these fats explain about 40% of why your cholesterol levels go up or down.
People who eat low-carb, high-fat diets tend to eat way less fiber than vegans, vegetarians, or meat-eaters, and only 8% of them get enough fiber — but they still get enough vitamins because they take supplements.