Increased Saturated Fat Intake Decreases LDL-Cholesterol in Individual with Lean Mass Hyper-Responder (LMHR) Phenotype

Wood M, Bando H and Ebe K

Published on: 2025-01-14

Abstract

Versions of the low carbohydrate diets (LCD) have been used as a medical nutrition therapy (MNT) since the late 1700s. The original LCD, referred to as the ‘animal diet’, was proposed by John Rollo to treat diabetes. There are have been various forms of the diet over time, which have been used to treat diabetes, obesity, hypertension, epilepsy, mental health disorders, and inflammatory diseases. Lean mass hyper-responders (LMHR) are individuals with a lower body mass index (BMI) and more favorable triglyceride (TG) to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratios that develop substantial increases in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) when initiating an LCD. The Lipid Energy Model (LEM) is used to explain the LMHR phenotype. This is a case report of a subject who presents with a milder form of LMHR that can still be explained by the LEM. The subject experienced rapid weight loss when switching from a strict ketogenic diet (KD) to a carnivore diet (CD). Despite significant weight loss, LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) remained stable and only dropped after a significant increase in saturated fat intake.