Was there an increase in LDL? They found that no, there wasn't. Carbohydrate-restricted diets showed no significant difference in low density lipoprotein cholesterol after 6, 12, and 24 months. This surprises a lot of people – doctors included – because there is this assumption that eating a ketogenic/high-fat diet automatically raises your LDL cholesterol. This systematic review and meta-analysis of large, randomized controlled trials looking at carbohydrate restriction of at least six months duration found that carbohydrate restriction appears superior for improving lipid markers when compared with low fat diets. Now, they define “improving” as lowering triglycerides and raising HDL, with no change in LDL. The key point is there was no significant difference in LDL up to two years.