A Harvard medical student recently went vegan as a health experiment, and the results were surprising.
Plant-based diets are known for their health benefits, but 25-year-old Nick Nowitz actually noticed a spike in his LDL cholesterol during a week of food swaps.
Doctors say low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as “bad cholesterol,” can be harmful to health in large amounts.
After eating an “almost entirely carnivorous” diet for a week, Nowitz switched to a “completely vegan keto diet” for the entire next week.
He said in the video that his plant-based diet is centered around tofu with vegan protein powder, green vegetables like spinach and Brussels sprouts, and dark chocolate and macadamia nut butter.
Norwitz included macadamia oil, extra virgin olive oil, and toasted sesame oil as the main fat sources.
In his video, Norwitz breaks down the specific amounts of macronutrients consumed in carnivore and vegan diets.
“To be honest, the vegan diet gave me a lot of stomach pain,” Norwitz says. “It’s just me and my biology and my microbiome.”
“Even though the vegan diet increased total fat, saturated fat, and fiber and reduced cholesterol to zero, total LDL cholesterol actually increased.”
Calories are the reason LDL cholesterol spiked on a vegan keto diet compared to a “carnivore-style” keto diet, Norwitz said.
On a keto diet like a carnivore, he consumed 3,479 calories per day. “This was pretty much a maintenance dose for me, and my weight didn't change.”
On the vegan keto diet, he consumed significantly fewer calories, at 2,054 calories per day.
“I don't subscribe to the theory that calories cause obesity, but that doesn't mean calories aren't important,” he said, noting that “a sudden and dramatic drop in calories” caused the weight loss. did.
Nowitz lost 4.2 pounds on a vegan diet, which she attributes to the elevated LDL.
He noted that previously published studies have shown an “inverse association” between LDL cholesterol and BMI on low-carbohydrate diets.
“Analysis shows that LDL is increased in lean populations with a BMI below 25,” he says. “All things being equal, thinner people will have higher LDL.”
Norwitz details the scientific reasons for the link between lower BMI and higher LDL cholesterol in the video.
He believes these results are likely to apply to other lean, active people on low-carbohydrate diets in a controlled environment.
Make “reasonable points”
A self-described “scholar” who holds a PhD in metabolic health and is currently pursuing a medical degree from Harvard University, Norwitz said he has always had a passion for sharing his “joy and interest” in science. spoke.
“Humans can safely consume a plant-based diet, but a plant-based diet is not essential for good health,” Norwitz told FOX News Digital.
“My vegan and keto research, while certainly a demonstration of carefully designed metabolism, provocatively pokes at conventional thinking and shows how each individual's unique metabolic situation deserves individual consideration. “I hope it makes people think more deeply about this,” he continued.
“As such, this is a radical demonstration attempting to make a rational point.”
Above all, Norwitz said he hopes his experiment will inspire people to become more curious about their own metabolic health.
“Psychology is more contagious than the flu,” he says. “I want people to get vaccinated with curiosity.”
Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at Vital Solutions, an Ohio company that provides cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide, said he was not involved in the experiment. I gave my opinion on the results.
Sarwar told Fox News Digital that it's “impossible to extrapolate” one person's experience across multiple groups.
Just because something is labeled vegan doesn't mean it's healthy, cardiologists warn.
“Highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates (sugar) are common in many vegan products, so it's important to avoid them,” Sarwar says.
Genetics also plays a big role in a person's cholesterol metabolism, he noted.
“Sudden changes in diet can disrupt the body's physiology and cause fluctuations in cholesterol levels,” Sarwar says.
For those who choose to go vegan, she recommends “increasing soluble fiber, focusing on minimally processed whole foods, and incorporating healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil into your diet. is important,” he said.
