I went on a vegan diet and my cholesterol went up heres why

A Harvard medical student recently went vegan as a health experiment — and the results were surprising.Plant-based diets have been heralded for their health benefits — but Nick Norwitz, 25, discovered that his LDL cholesterol actually spiked during his week-long food swap.Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), sometimes called “bad cholesterol,” is associated with negative health effects when present in high amounts, doctors say.After a week of eating an “almost entirely carnivore” diet, Norwitz switched to a “full vegan keto diet” for the entire following week. His plant-based diet focused on tofu with some added vegan protein powder, green vegetables like spinach and Brussels sprouts, and some dark chocolate and macadamia nut butter, he said in his video.For his primary fat sources, Norwitz incorporated macadamia oil, extra virgin olive oil and some toasted sesame oil.In his video, Norwitz breaks down the specific amounts of macronutrients he consumed with the carnivore and vegan diets.“Honestly, my stomach got pretty upset on the vegan diet,” Norwitz says.“That’s just me, and my biology and microbiome.”“Despite eating less total fat, less saturated fat, more fiber and zero cholesterol on the vegan diet, my total LDL cholesterol actually went up.”The reason for the LDL cholesterol spike on the vegan keto diet as compared to the “carnivore-esque” keto diet was calories, Norwitz said.On the carnivore-like keto diet, he consumed 3,479 calories per day — “which is around maintenance for me, and my weight didn’t change.”On the vegan keto diet, he consumed significantly fewer calories — 2,054 per day.“While I don’t adhere to the theory that calories cause obesity, that doesn’t mean calories don’t matter,” he said — noting that the “acute dramatic drop in calories” triggered some weight loss.Norwitz lost 4.2 pounds on the vegan diet, which he cites as the reason for the LDL spike.Earlier published research ha...