Does the Atkins Diet Raise LDL Cholesterol Levels?

Does the Atkins Diet Raise LDL Cholesterol Levels? Critics of say low-carb diets raise cholesterol levels, especially LDL (low-density lipoprotein), increasing the risk for heart disease. Those who ate higher saturated fat replaced small, dense LDL cholesterol with large, fluffy LDL particles, so their total LDL levels didn’t change much. Total LDL Levels Mislead: Small, Dense Particle Size vs Large LDL Particles LDL lipoproteins transport cholesterol to body tissues for use by the cells. However, LDL damaged by oxidation or glycated by blood sugar deposits their cholesterol into artery walls, where it doesn’t belong. Eades, M.D., author of The Protein Power Lifeplan , looking at just LDL levels is misleading because only damaged lipoproteins promote the development of cardiovascular disease. Large, fluffy LDL particles resist oxidation and are less likely to cause cardiovascular problems. According to Krauss, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets increase concentrations of small, dense LDL particles, while those on a higher-fat, low-carbohydrate diet produce large LDL particles, the type that resist oxidation and glycation. Eades also writes about the strong connection between triglyceride level and large, fluffy LDL particles. When triglycerides rise, the body makes small, dense LDL particles; Therefore, knowing a person’s triglyceride level points to the type of LDL cholesterol manufactured by the liver; So when HDL levels rise, total cholesterol levels might appear to not improve. Therefore, replacing fat in the diet with more carbohydrate will worsen blood lipid levels, rather than improve them. While low carbohydrates do not always reduce low-density lipoproteins as a whole, the Atkins diet supports the production of large, fluffy LDL particles, rather than the small, dense particle size often produced by the liver when carbohydrates are high.