Oreos to lower LDL

The experiment had one subject, who was also the researcher. After a ketogenic run-in, 100 g a day of extra carbohydrate from Oreos, with ketone supplements to stay in ketosis, lowered his LDL from 384 to 111 mg/dL in 16 days. After LDL returned to 421 mg/dL, 20 mg of rosuvastatin for 6 weeks lowered it to 284 mg/dL [1]. The point was to test the lipid energy model, which says lean people on keto raise LDL to move fat as fuel; the authors said it should not be taken as health advice.

The pattern fits earlier work. In a survey of 548 people on low-carbohydrate diets, the leanest and most metabolically healthy had the largest LDL rises, and adding back some carbohydrate lowered LDL sharply in 5 clinical cases [2]. A 2026 case series found the same carbohydrate effect in 3 patients whose diet-driven LDL of 364 to 682 mg/dL had first looked like familial hypercholesterolemia [3].

What is unknown is whether a diet-driven LDL rise matters for the heart. A cross-sectional scan study found no more coronary plaque in 80 lean keto dieters with LDL near 272 mg/dL than in matched controls [4], but genetic, observational and trial evidence shows that LDL causes atherosclerosis [5], and lowering it with drugs cuts heart attacks and strokes [6]. No study shows that eating refined carbohydrate to lower LDL reduces heart disease; the authors expect long-term refined carbohydrate intake to harm health.

• This was a 16-day, one-person demonstration, and its authors said it is not health advice.
• Oreos are refined sugar and fat. Eating them daily for months would likely harm weight, blood sugar and dental health.
• Very high LDL on a ketogenic diet should be checked by a clinician, who can rule out familial hypercholesterolemia and other causes before deciding on diet or drug changes.
• Statins and other LDL-lowering drugs have trial evidence that they prevent heart attacks and strokes. Do not stop a prescribed drug because of this experiment.