The FastDay Forum

I am interested in knowing for those of you who have had blood tests for cholesterol levels and had a marked improvement in numbers having lived this WOL.

I would love to be nosey and all and find out 'how did you tailor this WOL for you?' and thus had better cholesterol results or was is simply 5:2 straight up and if you maybe spread your allotted 500/600 cals througout the day or all at once in the evening.

Just am curious to know what specifically you did or did not do, to get lower cholesterol.

As we all know now, there are so many variants of this and want to know that I'm doing what i can to avoid lipitor next check up.

I find it hard to believe I can have some naughty foods on feed days and still possibly lower cholesterol from following 2 fast days each week.

Thanks for any insight

Zamale I am booked in (at last) for blood tests on 30th - well Doc on 30th, so should have the results early November, will report back after that.

Hoping the best for good results and thanks for replying.

[carorees]

From what I've been reading, carbohydrates raise LDL and lower HDL whereas cutting down on carbs lowers LDL and raises HDL (which is what we want). Fasting is the same as cutting carbs in many ways but if you also cut carbs it should help. However, during the fast cholesterol is raised in order to transport the fats you are now burning for fuel around the body. So don't get your blood test done after a fast day!

However, during the fast cholesterol is raised in order to transport the fats you are now burning for fuel around the body. So don't get your blood test done after a fast day!

That's interesting, as I did my last test after 2 consecutive days of fasting, just in order to know what the levels would look like (I will send results later today). I also tried to convince the GP that I would like another test after 5 feed days, but he indicated it would 'not make a difference'. Are any influences on other bloodmarkers known? I had a pretty low level of tryglicerines.
Pieter-Jan

My results were good this time, in the past my LDL was always 5.9 but after about 6 months of this WOE my LDL 4.4 and HDL 2.6 and triglycerides 1.7 I have been told that is quite good

[carorees]

However, during the fast cholesterol is raised in order to transport the fats you are now burning for fuel around the body. So don't get your blood test done after a fast day!

That's interesting, as I did my last test after 2 consecutive days of fasting, just in order to know what the levels would look like (I will send results later today). I also tried to convince the GP that I would like another test after 5 feed days, but he indicated it would 'not make a difference'. Are any influences on other bloodmarkers known? I had a pretty low level of tryglicerines.
Pieter-Jan

This is the study showing raised cholesterol after fasting:
http://www.jlr.org/content/early/2011/1 ... 7.full.pdf
Look at table 2 for details.

Hi, just got my results back today.
Just to give som background, I have had good results with 5:2, going from overweight to normal (8% loss), normalised height/weight ratio, dropping fat percentage from 33 to 28%.
However, several blood tests have confirmed somewhat mixed findings for "before 5:2" to today (all taken after several "food days")

Total cholesterol has gone up from normal to slightly elevated (4.5 to 5.4 mmol/l).
HDL has gone up from 1.1 to 1.5
LDL has gone up from 3.0 to 3.7
Triglycerides remain low (0.9 to 0.6)

HbA1c has gone up as well, from 4.5 to 5.4.

Possibly this indicates that I have become too relaxed about sugar and fatty foods, in particular saturated fat. I eat more cheese, ice cream and cake now, since keeping my weight isn't as difficult as it used to be - so why not indulge a bit... (My OH has noticed the same thing) What I am describing here is neither bingeing nor overindulging, it is not even a daily occurence - but a distinct overall change.

Portion reduction was a rather temporary effect, doesn't seem to stick in my (and OH's) case. That being said, we still eat quite healthily, with lots of fibre, legumes, fruit and veggies, little meat and some fatty fish . Possibly, the stress of fasting (in the physiological sense) also contributes to the elevated LDL. Luckily, I have no risk factors for cardiovascular disease, otherwise these changes would worry me somewhat.

Would be interesting to hear results/experiences from others as well.

[carorees]

Hi, just got my results back today.
Just to give som background, I have had good results with 5:2, going from overweight to normal (8% loss), normalised height weight ratio, dropping dat percentage from 32 to 28%.
However, severla blood tests have confirmed somewhat mixed findings for before 5:2 to today (all taken after several "food days")

Total cholesterol has gone up from normal to slightly elevated (4.5 to 5.4 mmol/l).
HDL has gone up from 1.1 to 1.5
LDL has gone up from 3.0 to 3.7
Triglycerides remain low (0.9 to 0.6)

HbA1c has gone up as well, from 4.5 to 5.4.

Possibly this indicates that I have become too relaxed about sugar and fatty foods, in particular saturated fat. I eat more cheese, ice cream and cake now, since keeping my weight isn't as difficult as it used to be - so why not indulge a bit... (My OH has noticed the same thing) What I am describing here is neither bingeing nor overindulging, it is not even a daily occurence - but a distinct overall change.

Portion reduction was a rather temporary effect, doesn't seem to stick in my (and OH's) case. That being said, we still eat quite healthily, with lots of fibre, legumes, fruit and veggies, little meat and some fatty fish . Possibly, the stress of fasting 8in the physiological sense9 also contributes to the elevated LDL. Luckily, I have no risk factors for cardiovascular disease, otherwise these changes would worry me somewhat.

Would be interesting to hear results/experiences from others as well.

Your ratio of HDL to total cholesterol (which is the key indicator of cardiovascular risk) has gone down, so that is excellent. Your ratio was 4.1 and is now 3.6. Anything below 4 is good.

Carbohydrates tend to increase LDL whereas fats increase HDL so eating more fat is not an issue, eating more sugar and white carbs could increase LDL and also HbA1c. I would be careful not to (routinely) break my fast with a high carb breakfast as the body is slow to react to carbs coming in after a fast so you get a higher blood glucose peak on eating after a fast than on a normal day.

Some results to add to the discussion.
General background: I have been on 5:2 for 3 month, losing 10 kg. and reaching my target of 64 kg (BMI from 25 to 21.5). I have always done 2 consecutive days of fasting, eating small amounts of breakfast, lunch and dinner. No real change in food content, only just a little bit less (also on feed days, perhaps 100 calories). No change in level of activity.
Blood values are available for 3 yearly measurements prior to 5:2, at the time when on 5:2 for 4 weeks (measured on monday, after 4 feed days) and after 12 weeks, when reaching goal and on a Thursday morning, after 2 fast days (600 calories each).
Results:
Glucose: mean before: 5.3; after 4 weeks: 5.2; after 12: 4.7
LDL cholesterol: before: 2.9; after 4 weeks: 3.0; after 12: 3.3
HDL cholesterol: before: 0.82; after 4 weeks: 1.08; after 12: 1.18
Total cholesterol: before: 4.8; after 4 weeks: 4.8; after 12: 4.9
Cholest. ratio: before: 5.8; after 4 weeks: 4.4; after 12: 4.1
Tryglycerides: before: 2.5; after 4 weeks: 1.6; after 12: 0.8.

So, apart from LDL and total cholest., results are pretty good and improving. I am now on maintenance (6:1) for one week, so no results on that yet.

Pieter-Jan

[carorees]

excellent improvement in HDL! Increasing HDL will lower your risk so don't worry about total (because that includes HDL so is likely to go up) or even LDL if HDL is increasing.

Thanks for the reply, Caroline. Yes, I've noticed the improved ratio, which is the most important change. I also read somewhere that low triglycerides indicate that the LDL particles are not very small, which is good, but I'm not sure how scientifically sound that is.

Still, the LDL is a bit strange in my opinion. I reduced fast carbs significantly seven years ago, but even before that my LDL wasn't this high. Also, normally total cholesterol is correlated with body weight regardless of nutrition (ref. that case report where someone lost weight and reduced cholesterol by eating a calorie-reduced diet consisting of Twinkies or something similar - the Horror!). But there may be individual differences.
Just curious - I'll have to read up on Varady and her intermittent fasting studies.

[carorees]

My hunch (with no direct scientific evidence) is that once your body is used to burning fat, it switches on fat burning very easily (called metabolic flexibility, which is known), so when you fast overnight you switch on fat burning to a greater extent than the average Joe who eats high carbs and doesn't do IF (assumed, not proven). Fasting increases cholesterol during the fast (to transport the fats around...see the study I quoted for PJ-K above), so if you even had an overnight fast before the bloods were taken you might expect a higher cholesterol reading than if you'd eaten a carbtastic breakfast (speculation).

I posted my blood results in July I only eat one evening meal of up to 500cals on a fast day.

benefits-side-effects-f28/brilliant-blood-test-results-t7138.html

My hunch (with no direct scientific evidence) is that once your body is used to burning fat, it switches on fat burning very easily (called metabolic flexibility, which is known), so when you fast overnight you switch on fat burning to a greater extent than the average Joe who eats high carbs and doesn't do IF (assumed, not proven). Fasting increases cholesterol during the fast (to transport the fats around...see the study I quoted for PJ-K above), so if you even had an overnight fast before the bloods were taken you might expect a higher cholesterol reading than if you'd eaten a carbtastic breakfast (speculation).

Interesting thought. I've definitely noticed a change - I used to get really cranky and go foraging for food every 4-5 hours before (especially when stressed), but now I can easily forget to eat. The first 6 fasts were rough (headache, agression, sleeping problems), but since then fasting has been so easy that I sometimes forget I'm doing it. Not hungry on mornings after a fast either (I eat 400 kcal high protein low-fat low-carb on fasting evenings).

Still - wouldn't the same go for Varady's overweight subjects, who lowered their LDL on ADF? Admittedly, I'm neither overweight nor doing ADF, so her results may not apply. Maybe I should take the next sample non-fasting.
I even read that the "HDL is all good" is under attack, now particle size and number is all the rage for LDL and HDL.
The mystery continues for the moment. While I continue to observe, I will consider eating my beloved cheeses without bread which is the most important health benefit of low-carbing for me