science

Extra Virgin Olive Oil vs. Butter Experiment v2.0

Update 11/16/2020: All of the results are going on the final experiment page

UPDATE 10/31/2020: First half of blood tests available! (see below)

My friend Dave Feldman had planned to do an experiment where he did a 4-week study of the effects of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and Butter, with all other sources of calories consumed remained constant. “Planned” because he ran into some problems and stopped. This is something I’ve done multiple times in the past so I decided to take over from Dave and run with it (besides, the guy can only do so many experiments a year). I’ll quote from Dave here:

One of the most common suggestions in lowering cholesterol (both total and LDL) is “replace saturated fat with mono and polyunsaturated fat”. This advice appears to have lots of evidence behind it. I’ve both read many studies and heard many stories that back up this advice, although individual results can vary.

In particular, I regularly hear one should “replace butter with extra virgin olive oil” where they can. Given the enormous popularity of both these sources of fat, I decided to set up an experiment to test each in isolation — and it’s going to be a bit ambitious.

Personally, I would much prefer to use Avocado Oil or Light Tasting Olive Oil, both have a light flavor that isn’t super terrible. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, on the other hand, tends to have a rather strong flavor that’s going to be a bit difficult to get through for 21 consecutive meals (twice). I suspect it’s going to be a bit like when I did Macadamia Nut Oil back in 2019, tolerable but no fun. As Dave said, it’s important that it be extra virgin olive oil because that’s kind of the “go-to” when people take out butter and other saturated fats from their diet, and the additional compounds that are in the extra virgin olive oil will likely come into play as well.

Experiment Design

The Experiment will be what’s called a “double crossover” – meaning that I will go back and forth TWICE modulating the variable (butter vs EVOO) each time. A “crossover experiment” is where the people doing the experiment do both phases, typically they do the placebo/control and the intervention. By doing this you can see if the effects of the changes are from a participant’s personal idiosyncrasies or if the change is really having an effect. By doing the crossover twice, it will allow control for a bunch of variables and will show if the effects of one fat are repeatable the second time, clarifying the effects. The only better way to do the experiment would be to wait a few months and repeat the experiment in the opposite order to further rule out the possibility of the order changing the results. I’m not going to do that, so don’t ask.

I will attempt to keep all other variables as equivalent as possible throughout: eating times, exercise times/duration, and sleep schedule. For the Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) I will be using Kirkland Signature Extra Virgin Italian Olive Oil. There is some VERY heated discussion about the authenticity and purity of Olive Oils, this particular product appears to be authentic and pure, it also is readily available for anyone else that is crazy enough to repeat this experiment. For the butter, I will be using standard plain Kirkland Salted Butter. I won’t be using “grass-fed” Kerigold or other fancy butter because the metabolic difference is negligible and I’m not buying into the narrative that beef and butter are only OK if they are “grass-fed” – if you want to have a discussion about the merits of “grass-fed” vs. conventional, please contact Dr. Peter Ballerstedt.

My daily diet during the experiment will consist entirely of:

  • 3 servings of Keto Chow – I’ll be using the plain Chocolate Flavor for all 84 meals during the experiment
  • 1 can per day of Kirkland Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon – this will add additional protein and give 1080mg of omega 3, plus something to chew =)
  • Water and Keto Chow Electrolyte Drops will be consumed ad libitum
  • 155ml of EVOO or 175g of Butter, during their respective phases of the experiment
Keto Chow for 4 weeks

what I’m eating for 4 weeks!

Schedule Outline

  1. October 5: Baseline blood test.
  2. October 5-11 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  3. October 12: Blood Test 2
  4. October 12-18 Butter
  5. October 19: Blood Test 3
  6. October 19-25 EVOO
  7. October 26: Blood Test 4
  8. October 26-November 1: Butter
  9. November 2: Blood Test 5

Blood and other tests

I plan to check blood ketones and glucose daily for the length of the experiment, I will also be collecting glucose readings using the FreeStyle Libre 2 system. Based on the design that Dave concocted, I expect I will be getting the same blood tests he planned:

  • Apolipoprotein A-1
  • Apolipoprotein B
  • C-Reactive Protein
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC)
  • Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
  • Cortisol
  • Fatty Acids, Free (NEFA)
  • Ferritin, Serum
  • Fructosamine
  • GGT
  • Glucagon, Plasma
  • GlycA
  • Hemoglobin A1c
  • IGF-1
  • Insulin and C-Peptide
  • Leptin
  • Lipid Panel
  • Lipoprotein(a)
  • Lp-PLA2 Activity
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
  • Oxidized Low-density Lipoprotein (OxLDL)
  • Reverse T3
  • Testosterone, Serum
  • Thyroid Panel
  • Uric Acid, Serum
  • Vitamin B12 and Folate
  • Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy

I’m also going to be going through the extra hassle to get some additional tests from Boston Heart Diagnostics as well. These include:

  • Adiponectin
  • Cholesterol Balance
  • Fatty Acid Balance
  • HDL Map
  • Interluekin-6
  • another Leptin
  • Oxidized Phospholipids on apoB (OxPL)
  • hs-CRP
  • another Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
  • Free T3
  • Free T4
  • Total T3
  • Total T4
  • Hepatic Function Panel
  • Renal Function Panel

Dave’s Endpoints of Interest

I’ll just go ahead and quote Dave for this:

As with the original design of this experiment I have outlined two categories of interest: lipid levels and inflammation markers. However, I’ll now be adding an additional test via Boston Heart that I’ve been waiting for — the Oxidized Phospholipids on apoB test (OxPL).

Something I’ve long speculated on is whether OxLDL would track tightly with OxPL. OxLDL is a pass/fail test — either the LDL particle has detectable levels of oxidation or it doesn’t. But the OxPL should show the degree of oxidation in those particles detected as an average for the total sampled. Thus, I think it will be an excellent test for risk and give us much more valuable information (but I do have some caveats, discussed below).

  • Will EVOO interventions have lower relative total and LDL cholesterol levels (TC & LDL-C)?
  • Will EVOO interventions have a greater oxidized LDL to total LDL particle count ratio (OxLDL/LDL-P)?
  • Will EVOO interventions have a greater oxidized phospholipid to oxidized LDL particle ratio (OxPL/OxLDL)

Discussion

Quoting Dave again:

As mentioned above, there are many factors that can influence cholesterol levels, particularly LDL. There is one effect that is rarely discussed in the literature but is of particular interest to me — how much we see particular types of dietary fat result in higher or lower oxidation per LDL particle.

In other words, are we seeing lower levels of LDL cholesterol because LDL particles are getting oxidized and cleared by scavenger receptors at a higher rate? There are many limitations to the experiment in how well it can provide evidence to this answer, but it might open the door.

We can’t easily know the true rate of clearance for OxLDL in vivo, or how much this is impacted by the degree of oxidation per particle. However, oxidized LDL particles are commonly understood to be cleared at a higher rate than unmodified LDL. So it will be meaningful data if we find a higher OxPL to OxLDL ratio in one intervention over the other.

Regardless, there will be quite a bit more data from all the other blood markers to provide comparisons that go well beyond lipids.

Results

The results are still coming in, but I have entered the first 2 tests (control and EVOO) from LabCorp and the first 3 tests (control, EVOO, and Butter) from Boston Heart into my running spreadsheet that contains ALL my blood test results from all the experiments I have done (you have to scroll pretty far over to the right, these new results are on AE).

By |2020-11-16T09:13:21-07:00September 25th, 2020|Categories: Keto Chow|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |2 Comments

Beverly’s Day 100 and Following

This entry is part 16 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

My anticipated weekend foods all changed that very first day of eating solid foods (but not like Chris who started with a keto cookie!).  My first solid food item was a string cheese stick Friday afternoon at work.  Friday evening, I had a grilled chicken breast with bacon and cheese.  A few hours later, I noticed that my jaw was SORE and it took me a few seconds to realize why – it was from chewing for the first time in months!  For lunch on Saturday, I had bacon and scrambled eggs; for dinner, I had a bunless bacon cheeseburger.  My jaw was sore again this day.  For lunch on Sunday, I had a chorizo and cheddar omelet.  There was so much yumminess in one weekend but the omelet was utterly the best!

In total, I lost 16.2 pounds in these 100 days.  For someone who has been obese her entire life before keto, this is absolutely nuts.  Who would have ever imagined?  Seriously, not me or anyone who has ever known me.

Many assume that I did this challenge in order to lose more weight.  But that is not why I did it.  I did get momentarily caught up in that thought along the way, but my reasons for doing this challenge did not primarily revolve around weight loss.  So why did I do it?  I had to review some notes I made for myself in the beginning.

  • to let Chris know he was not doing his project alone
  • to represent a product that has been the essential tool that changed my keto game forever
  • to support a company I trust and believe in
  • to accomplish the presented challenge
  • to see my own personal blood test results showing reactions to the different fat sources in a controlled setting
  • to dial my calories back in because I had gained a few pounds with lazy keto
  • to be a low carb rock in my diabetic husband’s world
  • to remain actively immersed in the keto lifestyle
  • to offer encouragement to others who might want to try something similar

This week, I am continuing with my choice as a preference of butter for my dietary fat.  In a pinch on Sunday and without thinking, I quickly made up one batch of shakes with heavy cream the way I used to make them so I would have shakes available the next day.  When I drank a shake Monday afternoon, I wrinkled my nose and shook my head.  I had to think about what was different about this shake than the shakes I had drank the previous day.  Heavy cream!  With no other way to describe it, the “mouth feel” is better with butter for me.  Butter is smooth and rich but without the extra filminess that I get from heavy cream.  Before this experiment, my choice was heavy cream so it is surprising that I reacted this way.  But it confirms for me that I do like butter the best!  That evening, I mixed up six days’ worth of shakes made with butter to get me through the rest of the week.  The latest blood test lab results arrived a couple of hours ago so I will be looking at those closely as well to decide scientifically if butter is an acceptable option.

Looking back at my first post, I am a little less than thrilled with the fact that I exposed my saggy elbows on Day 1 but – since I did – I have to do it again for Day 101.  sigh    I always wear a garment of some type that covers my elbows.  On these days pictured, I removed my sweater for the camera.  These elbows will never be seen in public again after this!  :)  However, I must say that I am not upset about having some loose skin.  It is a symbol of what I have accomplished and shows me how far I have come.  I think no one should avoid weight loss with the excuse that they are afraid they will have loose skin.


100 Days Keto Chow Challenge
L: 01-02-19 (weight 135.6)                                                                                R: 04-12-19 (weight 119.4)


These graphs make me curious about how they fit in with the rest of my keto journey which began in May 2016.  On keto since then, I have lost over 120 pounds.  My highest weight was 261 (previous to when I started keto) so, in total, I have lost over 140 pounds.  In a couple of weeks, I will write a post about my keto journey and will include a timeline that outlines what has worked for me along my way.

My current but changeable non-strict plan (read here: flexible) is to drink Keto Chow throughout the week (shakes each made usually with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter) while permitting keto snacks such as string cheese, boiled eggs, and pork rinds.  I will enjoy a variety of keto meals on weekends as desired.  Lazy keto is my absolute food dream come true.  I hate tracking.  I just need to be more careful about portion sizes now than I have had to be in the past.  To be honest, keeping portions small has been incredibly difficult for me this week but I am hoping to find it to be easier soon after I have fed my cravings.  If not, then I will need to take an honest look at the situation and make some tough decisions about my plan.

Next week, my incredible husband is taking me on vacation to a BEACH!  It has been about 15-16 months since we last took an entire week off from our jobs so this is exciting.  As ever, we are planning to take our Keto Chow supplies with us so we can make shakes for two meals each day.  I do not want to focus on food or restaurants.  My husband disagrees with me slightly as he is looking forward to lots of shrimp and fish!  (yuck)  While a bit of sunshine and warmth is quite welcome and anticipated, what I really want is a break from everyday life and some time alone with the great man I married.  :)

100 Days of Keto (Chow) Day 101

This entry is part 106 of 107 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow

So, I’m officially done. Had my first meal after my 100-day experiment where I was eating ONLY Keto Chow for all of my meals every day. What was my first meal? Chocolate Mint Keto Chow with half a stick of butter. It’s delicious =)

Now comes the not-so-fun-but-important part: compiling all my data for the experiment. I did pull a bunch of graphs and reports out of Cron-O-Meter, Heads-up Health, Keto Mojo, LEVL, and I put on my Zozo Suit again this morning to get measurements. Let’s see what it said!

Starting Measurements

Starting Measurements

Ending Measurements

Ending Measurements

Here are all of the measurements I took plotted on a graph, you can see the raw values on the “Zozo Suit” Tab of this spreadsheet.

How about some of my other markers? This morning I weighed myself and was a little disappointed to find that I was 0.1 lbs short of hitting 200 lbs (again). I started this experiment at 244.016 lbs on January 2 and ended today (April 12) at 200.107 – meaning my total weight loss for the 100 days was 43.909 lbs or 19.91 kg. I averaged a 0.439 lb weight loss per day over the 100 days (it was 0.49 up until day 80).

Weight loss graph

So, where does all of this leave me now? I’m with Beverly: “I do plan to continue using butter as my preferred fat source in my shakes unless there is a reason to stop based upon the blood lab test results” For me, butter checks a lot of the boxes:

  • cheaper
  • easier to store
  • easier to transport
  • lots of fantastic saturated fats
  • short chain fats
  • tastes amazing
  • salted butter has more sodium

By |2019-04-12T10:16:37-06:00April 12th, 2019|Categories: 100 Days of Keto Chow, Weight Loss|Tags: , , , , , |4 Comments

100 Days of Keto (Chow) Day 100

This entry is part 107 of 107 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow

And…. done, or at least I will be tomorrow morning at this time. 100 days of eating only Keto Chow for all of my calories. 298 meals (I skipped 2 meals early-on), several gallons of Heavy Cream, bottles of Avocado Oil, 24 sticks of butter. What’s my first meal going to be tomorrow after getting my blood test? Keto Chow. Yep: Day 101 will start with Keto Chow because it’s just so easy to make and take to work, lunch will be chicken wings =) Here is the original post where I laid out my plan: Starting 2019 with a plan.

The scale this morning reported that I’m down 43.6lbs since the commencement of this experiment, I’m optimistic that might hit 44 by tomorrow which will get me to one of my goals. That’d be a fantastic capstone to the experiment.

I’ll get my final blood test tomorrow and will have those results back by at least Thursday of next week. Until then, I do have the results from the most recent test which is the first week of doing butter for both Beverly and for me. It’s very interesting to have n=2 with two very different people (tall dude, short lady). The full results are on the online spreadsheet. Here are the comparison graphs showing how we both have reacted to the different fat types:

We most definitely do not react the same… and yet the trends are doing the same things. MCT oil seems to make both of our triglycerides go up, my increase is more pronounced. Avocado Oil lowers both of our LDL-P and (to a lesser extent) our total cholesterol. I really don’t like the reaction of my HDL to avocado oil though. A 26 is alarmingly low. It’s coming up on butter, we’ll see how the next test goes.

By |2019-04-11T18:44:24-06:00April 11th, 2019|Categories: 100 Days of Keto Chow, Weight Loss|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

Beverly’s Week 14 (Week 8 of Science) Day 99 !!!

This entry is part 15 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

The final week is here!!!  Today is Day 99!  Tomorrow evening, I will be enjoying my first solid meal since January 1.  Woo hoo!  :)  I will be making scrambled eggs and bacon.  On Saturday, I plan to have chicken wings.  On Sunday, I plan to have a cheese omelet.  After this weekend – meat, meat, and more meat.  Meat is what I want.  I was surprised to hear Chris say in his Day 99 video that he is planning to eat only Keto Chow and meat.  That is exactly what I am planning to do!  I copied him for this 100 day challenge, but I promise you that I am not copying him now.  I just want meat!  Is there a meaning behind the fact that he and I are both craving meat?  Hmm, I will let you decide that.  I have an interest in the zero carb (carnivore) lifestyle so I am moving in that direction but beginning loosely by incorporating my own guidelines/allowances as I do with IF (Intermittent Fasting or Time Restricting Eating) by allowing heavy cream in my coffee and mugs of warm bouillon throughout the day.

Here is my last official batch of shakes made with butter as the fat source.  I let them rest for a minute to release some warmth before adding the lids.  In truth though, the water I used was barely warm.


These buttery shakes are delicious!  I am a sweets fiend so I made (left to right) Cookies and Cream, Snickerdoodle, and Salted Caramel this time around.  Although I said this is the last official batch of shakes made with butter, I do plan to continue using butter as my preferred fat source in my shakes unless there is a reason to stop based upon the blood lab test results.

Along with eating meat, I am also looking forward to returning to lazy keto.  No more continuous tracking of consumption.  No more daily morning weigh-ins.  No more daily afternoon ketone tests.  No more Friday morning trips to LabCorp.  (The next set of results are due in this afternoon so those should be posted on Chris’ spreadsheet very soon.)  And probably no more consuming the majority of calories between 4:00 and 8:00 pm. (still debating this as it helps to avoid snacks but my blood sugar gets a little too low in the afternoon).  I will continue drinking Keto Chow shakes every day.  I will continue attending yoga classes.  I intend to continue prohibiting snacks but know I am weak in this area.

This weekend, I will be re-stocking our refrigerator and freezer because I essentially emptied both completely before this challenge began, much to my supportive husband’s dismay.  Along with happy anticipation of having groceries in the house again, my fantastic husband is really looking forward to us eating out together again.  We both completely enjoy across-the-table time with each other, and we both totally miss it.  Although we have gone out a few times during this 100 days, it was certainly not as often as it was before.  We can and will have regular date nights again!

This past Monday, I had a quick visit at my doctor’s office for a prescription follow-up.  When the doctor entered the room, he said, “Have you lost more weight?”  My response was that I didn’t think so, maybe a couple of pounds.  The nurse piped up and said, “Yes, she’s lost 13 pounds since her last visit in December.”  Well, cool!  I was not thinking about the 100 day challenge and recent weight loss nor was I considering when I had last been in their office.  They were exactly right though.  I have lost 13 pounds since December!  That number matches mine exactly.



Interestingly, my weight seems to have settled at 122 without any intent or effort.  I first reached that weight on February 22 which was Day 52 of the challenge.  Now 47 days later on Day 99, I still weigh 122.  Based on this fact (nearly 7 weeks at the same weight), I might venture to say that 1200 calories is maintenance for me.  Or perhaps this is a “stall” and I would lose even more if I continued this journey for longer.  As I transition back to lazy keto and eating animal products again, I will see what happens.

AVERAGE DAILY KETONE LEVEL
First six weeks of challenge with heavy cream:  2.0
Week 1 of science with heavy cream:  2.53
Week 2 of science with heavy cream:  2.66
Week 1 of science with avocado oil:  2.5
Week 2 of science with avocado oil:  2.83
Week 1 of science with avocado oil & MCT oil:  3.23
Week 2 of science with avocado oil & MCT oil:  3.11
Week 1 of science with butter:  2.53
Week 2 of science with butter:  2.11

Next week, I will submit one more post with a few comparison photos and some final thoughts to wrap up my time visiting here on the Keto Chow blog.  See you then!

100 Days of Keto (Chow) Day 99

This entry is part 105 of 107 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow

Went down a little more yesterday, I’m now down 43 lbs since starting this experiment. If all goes like it currently is, I might just hit a new goal before I finish this experiment!

We did our weekly facebook live last night, I have the UHD4K recording getting rendered right now, it’ll be posted in a bit. Aside from that, today is all about preparing for the FitCon show that’s coming up later this week. We got new signage and other fun stuff.

By |2019-04-10T09:02:08-06:00April 10th, 2019|Categories: 100 Days of Keto Chow, Weight Loss|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

100 Days of Keto (Chow) Day 98

This entry is part 104 of 107 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow

I dropped a bit yesterday, as of this morning I’m down 42.4 lbs. Sweet.

People keep asking what I’m going to eat when this 100 days of only Keto Chow are over. I think they are expecting either some crazy feast or for me to say “not Keto Chow!” On Friday morning I’m going to get my final blood test taken, then I’ll have some Keto Chow for breakfast. Lunch will be at Buffalo Wild Wings where they fry their wings in BEEF TALLOW. I’m going to get the dry seasoning traditional wings, they’re 1-2g of carbs. Dinner will be something with the kids, likely the smoked pulled pork from Costco. Saturday we’re going to be at Fitcon in the Keto Chow booth so I’ll be back to drinking Keto Chow for breakfast and lunch, dinner will be at a Churrascaria (Brazilian BBQ). Sunday, back to Keto Chow with brisket for dinner that I bought from https://paizlees.com/– who raises beef in Southern Utah. Monday, probably Keto Chow for breakfast and lunch and steaks for dinner (which will be the norm for the foreseeable future: Keto Chow and meat, all day every day).

100 Days of Keto (Chow) Day 97

This entry is part 103 of 107 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow

Welcome back to me! I had planned to record videos for day 95 and day 96 whilst we were camping but completely forgot. It was actually really nice to unplug – not that we had a chance, we were camping in the middle of Utah’s West Desert with mountain ranges blocking any cellular signal we might have picked up. It was a fun time though, Miriam and Holly were doing a week of carnivore so the meals tended to be amazing steaks, keto pancakes (eggs+cream cheese, covered in whipped cream), roasted chicken thighs, you know – stuff I was not eating at the time. On the other hand, while driving back home I did try Chocolate Toffee Keto Chow that was mixed up with butter for the fat. That was yummy enough that Miriam made sure to make some for her today. My meal prep was insanely easy – gram a pre-made Keto Chow from the fridge. Done. I did help with making meals for everyone else – even managed to burn the back of my right-hand making hamburgers.

OK, so day 97. This morning I mixed up enough Keto Chow to last me through Thursday dinner, which will be the end of my 100 days of eating only Keto Chow for all my meals, the following morning I’ll be getting my final blood test. This morning I hit 40.1lbs lost – that’s cool =)

100 Days of Keto (Chow) Day 96

This entry is part 102 of 107 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow

I forgot to record a video update for day 96. We went camping out in the middle of Utah’s West Desert, far from cell signal and anything else. Everyone else had meat, I drank Keto Chow =)