Dave Feldman

Dave Feldman is a senior software engineer, business developer and entrepreneur. He began a Low Carb, High Fat diet in April 2015 and after experiencing a significant rise in his total cholesterol he committed himself to learning everything he could about cholesterol and the lipid system.

As an engineer, Dave spotted a pattern in the lipid system that’s very similar to distributed objects in networks. Through research and N=1 experimentation he has revealed some very powerful data which he continues to share in this presentation and in further detail on his website www.CholesterolCode.com.

Video Presentations of David Feldman

Scholarly Articles from David Feldman

Video Presentations of David Feldman

"New Data on Energy, Exercise and Cholesterol" - Dave Feldman

"Interpreting Common Low Carb Lipid Profiles" - Dave Feldman

"It's About Energy, Not Cholesterol" - Dave Feldman

"A Very Brief Review of the Lipid Energy Model & Top Secret" - Dave Feldman

"Low Carb LDL - Passenger or Killer?" - with Dave Feldman

Dave Feldman has done more to call into question the lipid hypothesis of heart disease than practically anyone over the past few decades. His self experimentation and his theories on an energy model for lipids question the foundation of the theory that LDL is "bad" and we should all strive for a low level. He recently had his model "stress tested" on the Peter Attia podcast which for some created more questions than answers.

In this episode, we review his energy model and inversion pattern, and we explore what this means for low carb individuals with elevated LDL levels. Since there are no clear answers, it helps to explore the possibilities so that we can try to make sense of this unique and unstudied area of lipidology.

"Low-Carb and High LDL Hyper-responders: New Evidence" - with Dave Feldman

A new study scientifically defines the group of people whose LDL cholesterol rises dramatically after starting a low-carb diet — so-called lean mass hyper-responders. But what does this mean if you are in this group, and what does it mean for the broader topic of cholesterol?

"Cholesterol and Low-Carb: What's the 'Skinny' on High LDL?" - with Dave Feldman

Does an elevated LDL cholesterol on a low-carb diet confer the same risk as an elevated LDL on a standard American diet? We don’t know the answer for certain. But thanks to Dave Feldman and his colleagues, we may learn the answer sooner rather than later.

"Keto Diet and High LDL Study" - Dave Feldman

Dave Feldman released preliminary data from a lean mass hyper-responder study that investigates elevated LDL while on a keto diet. He presented the baseline data at the Symposium for Metabolic Health in San Diego, and the reaction was notable — both supportive and critical.

The results of the study have the potential to change how we view elevated LDL cholesterol. But for now, we have to be patient for the end results and cautiously take away the lessons we can from the preliminary data.

Scholarly Articles from David Feldman

Elevated LDL Cholesterol with a Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet: Evidence for a “Lean Mass Hyper-Responder” PhenotypePeople commencing a carbohydrate-restricted diet (CRD) experience markedly heterogenous responses in LDL cholesterol, ranging from extreme elevations …

The Lipid Energy Model: Reimagining Lipoprotein Function in the Context of Carbohydrate-Restricted DietsWhen lean people adopt carbohydrate-restricted diets (CRDs), they may develop a lipid profile consisting of elevated LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) with low triglycerides (TGs). The magnitude of this lipid profile correlates with BMI such that those with lower BMI exhibit larger increases in both LDL-C and HDL-C. The inverse association between BMI and LDL-C and HDL-C change on CRD contributed to the discovery of a subset of individuals—termed Lean Mass Hyper-Responders (LMHR)—who, despite normal pre-diet LDL-C, as compared to non-LMHR (mean levels of 148 and 145 mg/dL, respectively), exhibited a pronounced hyperlipidemic response to a CRD, with mean LDL-C and HDL-C levels increasing to 320 and 99 mg/dL, respectively, in the context of mean TG of 47 mg/dL. In some LMHR, LDL-C levels may be in excess of 500 mg/dL, again, with relatively normal pre-diet LDL-C and absent of genetic findings indicative of familial hypercholesterolemia in those who have been tested. The Lipid Energy Model (LEM) attempts to explain this metabolic phenomenon by positing that, with carbohydrate restriction in lean persons, the increased dependence on fat as a metabolic substrate drives increased hepatic secretion and peripheral uptake of TG contained within very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) by lipoprotein lipase, resulting in marked elevations of LDL-C and HDL-C, and low TG. Herein, we review the core features of the LEM. We review several existing lines of evidence supporting the model and suggest ways to test the model’s predictions.

Increased LDL-cholesterol on a low-carbohydrate diet in adults with normal but not high body weight: a meta-analysisLDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) change with consumption of a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) is highly variable. Identifying the source of this heterogeneity coul…

Short-term hyper-caloric high-fat feeding on a ketogenic... : Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesitysimple paradigm cannot account for the lipid patterns, nor for the magnitude of effect, observed in ‘lean mass hyper-responders’ on low-carbohydrate diets. The Lipid Energy Model (LEM) provides an alternative explanation for LDL-C increases seen in persons without obesity who adopt ketogenic diets and makes testable predictions, including that acute overfeeding, including increased saturated fat consumption, would decrease LDL-C levels. Recent findings This study reports data from an n = 1 experiment, performed in duplicate, in which the subject consumed three ketogenic diets for 5 days that varied in caloric content: weight-maintenance (2278 kcal/day), hypo-caloric (1135 kcal/day), and hyper-caloric (4116 kcal/day). Consistent with the LEM, LDL-C and apolipoprotein B increased following caloric restriction and decreased following overfeeding, despite increased saturated fat consumption. Data from a case series of 24 individuals who underwent similar protocols similarly found that overfeeding on a ketogenic diet decreased LDL-C. Summary This n = 1 study and associated case series provide data that short-term overfeeding can lower LDL-C in the context of carbohydrate restriction....

Case Report: Hypercholesterolemia “Lean Mass Hyper-Responder” Phenotype Presents in the Context of a Low Saturated Fat Carbohydrate-Restricted DietEmerging evidence suggests that “leanness” and good metabolic health markers may predict larger increases in LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) in response to carbohydrate restriction. Specifically, a recent cohort study demonstrated an inverse association between BMI and LDL-C change among individuals on carbohydrate-restricted diets and identified a subgroup of “Lean Mass Hyper-Responders” (LMHR) who exhibit exceptional increases in LDL-C, in the context of low triglycerides and high HDL-C. We present the case of one subject, LM, who adopted a ketogenic diet for management of ulcerative colitis. He subsequently experienced an increase in LDL-C from 95 to 545 mg/dl, at peak, in association with HDL-C >100 mg/dl and triglycerides ~40 mg/dl, typical of the emergent LMHR phenotype. Assessments of LM’s dietary intake, lipid panels, and BMI are consistent with prior data and suggest that the LMHR phenomenon is not dependent on saturated fat intake but inversely associates with BMI changes. Finally, computed tomography angiography conducted on LM after over 2 years of hypercholesterolemia revealed no evidence of calcified or non-calcified plaque.

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