what can go What's wrong with eating a high-fat diet of beef, cheese, and sticks of butter? Well, for one thing, your cholesterol levels can reach such stratospheric levels that lipids start oozing from your blood vessels, forming yellow nodules on your skin.
This 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, the soles of his feet, and his elbows. . Their case was published today in JAMA Cardiology,
The man, believed to be in his forties, told doctors that he had adopted a “non-vegetarian diet” eight months ago. His diet included 6 to 9 pounds of cheese, sticks of butter, and hamburgers daily, which contained excess fat. Since taking this brow-raising food plan, he claims he lost weight, his energy levels increased, and his “mental clarity” improved.
Meanwhile, his total cholesterol levels exceeded 1,000 mg/dL. For reference, an optimal total cholesterol level is under 200 mg/dlWhile 240 mg/dL is considered the threshold for “high”. Cardiologists said that before he went on the fatty diet, his cholesterol ranged between 210 mg/dL to 300 mg/dL.
The cardiologist diagnosed the man with xanthelasma, a condition in which excess blood lipids overflow from blood vessels and form localized lipid deposits. The escaped lipids are usually taken up by circulating white blood cells called macrophages. But, in cases with Xanthelasma, the amount of lipid is too large for the macrophages, which turn into foam cells with excess cholesterol, causing visible deposits.
Such deposits are often seen around the eye (a condition called xanthelasma palpabrarum), which often strikes people suffering from lipid abnormalities, such as familial hypercholesterolemia. It is thought that constant blinking of the eyes over a person's life may eventually weaken the capillaries in the area, allowing lipid seepage. But, while this may be a more common presentation of the condition, lipid deposits can occur anywhere in the body.
Xanthelasma—specifically xanthelasma palpebrarum—is Not always associated with high cholesterol and heart risk, but having higher total cholesterol strongly associated with coronary heart disease,
Case study does not provide information about the man's point of view. However, the authors write that the case “highlights the impact of dietary patterns on lipid levels and the importance of managing hypercholesterolemia to prevent complications.”
This story originally appeared tech technica,