A woman in her early 30s astonished doctors when her blood fat tests showed a dramatic increase, despite her thin physique. Doctor Hong Huifeng, a cardiologist at Shin Kong Hospital in Taiwan, China, reported that the patient's total cholesterol level soared to over 400 mg/dL (normal is below 200 mg/dL). Notably, her LDL ("bad" cholesterol) reached 276 mg/dL, more than double the safe level (below 130 mg/dL).

Despite her alarming cholesterol levels, the patient was not overweight. On her personal page, Doctor Hong Huifeng shared that the woman's body mass index (BMI) was only 17, indicating alarming thinness. Other tests, including triglyceride (neutral fat) and HDL ("good" cholesterol) levels, were normal, and no protein was found in her urine, ruling out kidney conditions like nephrotic syndrome.

However, her body was sending multiple distress signals: her systolic blood pressure was barely over 70 mmHg, her heart rate was dangerously slow at 30-40 beats per minute, and she had experienced amenorrhea (absence of menstruation) for four to five years.

Seeing such high blood fat in an extremely thin person, doctors initially suspected genetic hypercholesterolemia. However, upon examining her Achilles tendon – where cholesterol often accumulates and thickens tendons in individuals with the gene – the doctor found her tendon to be very thin, immediately ruling out a familial factor. To find the root cause, Doctor Hong Huifeng referred the patient to the Endocrinology department.

There, the true cause was uncovered: she was consuming only approximately 500 calories per day. Her prolonged diet was extremely meager, consisting solely of white porridge and fish.

Doctor Hong Huifeng explained that prolonged starvation causes physiological functions to deteriorate, leading to low blood pressure, a slow heart rate, and amenorrhea. Severe nutrient deficiency also reduced her blood albumin levels, leading to a risk of edema.

The patient's prolonged diet was extremely meager, consisting solely of white porridge and fish. Illustration: Bui Thuy

Many mistakenly believe that fasting can reduce blood fat, but the actual mechanism is the opposite due to metabolic disruption. When there is a serious energy deficit, the liver can no longer effectively metabolize and excrete "bad" fat. This situation, combined with a decrease in T3 thyroid hormone levels, causes cholesterol to accumulate in the blood, leading to "starvation hypercholesterolemia." The doctor warned that without timely intervention, the patient's life could be in danger.

Treating such a severe case requires extreme caution. If the patient were to resume eating a normal amount of food too suddenly, her body could easily develop refeeding syndrome, which could lead to sudden death. Therefore, calorie intake had to be increased incrementally following a strict regimen.

Thanks to strict adherence to the treatment protocol, after only three weeks of gradually increasing her food intake, the woman's "bad" blood fat dramatically decreased by 100 mg/dL. Her blood pressure and heart rate also gradually recovered to safe levels. This case serves as a clear warning: extreme dieting does not lead to better health; instead, it can push the metabolic system into a dangerous trap.

By My Y (via Yahoo TW)