Cholesterol appears on man’s hands after he lived on diet of hamburgers, sticks of butter
Following a high-fat diet impacted one middle-aged man’s cardiovascular health so much that cholesterol appeared to start leaking out of his hands.
Cardiologists detailed the man’s experience in JAMA Cardiology.[1] His diet at the time included especially large amounts of red meat and cheese—“daily hamburgers,” the physicians noted—and he often ate entire sticks of butter. He followed this diet for approximately eight months before the “yellowish nodules” started to appear. It was then that he finally decided to seek medical attention.
The patient’s care team found that his cholesterol levels exceeded 1000 mg/dL when he went in for treatment. His baseline cholesterol level was 210 to 300 mg/dL.
The patient, who was ultimately diagnosed with xanthelasma, said the yellow nodules did not hurt in any way. He also said his high-fat diet helped him lose weight, adding that he had experienced “increased energy and improved mental clarity.”
“This case highlights the impact of dietary patterns on lipid levels and the importance of managing hypercholesterolemia to prevent complications,” wrote first author Konstantinos Marmagkiolis, MD, a cardiologist with the University of South Florida in Tampa, and colleagues.
Click here to read the full case study in JAMA Cardiology.
Reviewing the best diets for heart health
Because Marmagkiolis et al. emphasized the importance of a eating well, it is worth reviewing a recent write-up from U.S. News and World Report that investigated the best diets for a person’s heart health. According to the report’s authors, these should be five primary goals for any strong heart-healthy diet:
- Focus on consuming plant-based foods.
- Eat many different minimally processed whole foods rich in nutrients and fiber.
- Eat more healthy fats, fewer unhealthy fats.
- Limit the consumption of added sugars, highly processed foods and fatty meats.
- Limit your overall sodium intake while adding more potassium to your diet.
The DASH Diet came in at No. 1 with a score of 4.9 out of 5. The Mediterranean Diet (4.8) was next, followed by a three-way tie between the MIND Diet, a vegan diet and a flexitarian diet (4.3).
Additional reporting related to heart health can be found here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.