Creator of the term “lean mass hyper-responder” discusses LMHR study and the importance of attending in-person conferences

Anyone who has attended a LowCarbUSA® Symposium for Metabolic Health conference is undoubtedly already familiar with Dave Feldman’s innovative work relating to cholesterol, and the Lean Mass Hyper-responder study, which he is conducting in partnership with the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA.

Dave is a software engineer and entrepreneur who has learned a great deal on the subject of lipids through research and experimentation, often using himself as the subject of his work. He attracted considerable attention for a series of experiments in which he caused drastic changes to his LDL in mere days, and this work led him to develop the Lipid Energy Model.

At the 2021 Symposium for Metabolic Health in San Diego, Feldman excited the audience with the surprise announcement that he was launching the Lean Mass Hyper-responder study, which aims to identify plaque (atherosclerosis) or noting a lack thereof, found in certain individuals, described as lean mass hyper-responders, who have adopted a low carb, ketogenic diet and whose LDL has increased substantially, while maintaining other risk factors for heart disease at optimal levels. Feldman hopes the study can provide valuable new insight on the risk level for this group at a population level.

For those wanting to learn more about the lean mass hyper-responder profile, Dave has provided an overview on his Cholesterol Code website. The Cholesterol Code team – Dave Feldman, Craig Moffitt and Siobhan Huggins – have also created a LMHR Facebook group that has nearly 10 thousand members.

A year later, at the 2022 Symposium, Feldman once again generated a tremendous amount of excitement when he shared encouraging one-year preliminary data from the ongoing study.

The LMHR study has since met both its recruiting and fund-raising goals, and Feldman is now looking forward to being able to release additional data at some point in the near future.

When pressed to provide details about what information might be disclosed this August in San Diego, he smiled broadly but remained silent.

After a long pause and some additional prodding, Dave finally said he is still confirming timing on when key data might be released. “I’m hoping to break some huge news again,” he added. “We’ll see.”

Dave also spent a few minutes talking about the value he sees in attending events like the Symposium for Metabolic Health and getting the chance to interact in-person with practitioners, researchers and lay people.

“I’m a big fan of attending conferences physically, to be sure,” Feldman said. “I’m a kinesthetic learner, so I learn better the more I’m immersed. Much like if I wanted to learn another language, I’d want to go to a country in which that language is spoken.”

“By the same token, if I want to get into the science, if I want to understand the speakers that I’m seeing on YouTube, there’s just no comparison to literally being there, and actually being in the audience, being able to ask and answer questions, and you know, interacting in the hallways, having lunch, all of those things, it becomes such a grounded experience.”

“And I think it just allows for a lot more retention for me, not just as a speaker, but as a participant, to actually be there soaking it up, and being able to process it in real time.”

Dave also spent some time sharing his views on the importance of citizen science and the value that can be derived from individual experimenting.

“One of the biggest takeaways I hope people can see with my story is that I really do believe in the concept of citizen science,” said Dave.

“There’s a great deal of importance that comes from formal science, and we should always appreciate that, but we shouldn’t underestimate what you as an individual can contribute.”

“So if there’s a message I hope I can convey to everybody, it’s that you can matter so much more than you realize. It’s just about keeping the lines of communication open, keeping your mind open, and sharing, sharing the data that you find, and the insights you have. It can make a big difference.”

Learn more about the 2023 Symposium for Metabolic Health (August 17-20) in San Diego. Use the code on the registration page to save on tickets, low-carb dinners and optional CME credits.