https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/01/florida-man-eats-diet-of-butter-cheese-beef-cholesterol-oozes-from-his-body/ [arstechnica.com]
What could go wrong with eating an extremely high-fat diet of beef, cheese, and sticks of butter? Well, for one thing, your cholesterol levels could reach such stratospheric levels that lipids start oozing from your blood vessels, forming yellowish nodules on your skin.
That was the disturbing case of a man in Florida who showed up at a Tampa hospital with a three-week history of painless, yellow eruptions on the palms of his hands, soles of his feet, and elbows. His case was published today in JAMA Cardiology [jamanetwork.com].
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his total cholesterol level exceeded 1,000 mg/dL. For context, an optimal total cholesterol level is under 200 mg/dL [clevelandclinic.org], while 240 mg/dL is considered the threshold for 'high.' Cardiologists noted that prior to going on his fatty diet, his cholesterol had been between 210 mg/dL to 300 mg/dL.The cardiologists diagnosed the man with xanthelasma, a condition in which excess blood lipids ooze from blood vessels and form localized lipid deposits.
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Xanthelasma—especially xanthelasma palpebrarum—is not always associated with high cholesterol [nih.gov] and heart risks, but having high total cholesterol is strongly associated with coronary heart disease [nih.gov].
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the case "highlights the impact of dietary patterns on lipid levels and the importance of managing hypercholesterolemia to prevent complications."
Related stories on SoylentNews: lipid search [soylentnews.org]