FerFit Dietetics and Nutrition

🫀 Your LDL cholesterol is “normal”… but is the full heart health picture being measured?

Many people know their LDL cholesterol number but fewer have heard about ApoB (Apolipoprotein 😎, a marker that reflects the number of potentially harmful cholesterol-carrying particles in your bloodstream.

Here’s why it matters 👇

Two people can have the same LDL cholesterol result but a different number of atherogenic particles. A higher number of these particles may create more opportunities for cholesterol to enter artery walls and contribute to plaque formation.

This can be especially relevant for people with:
🔹 High triglycerides
🔹 Insulin resistance
🔹 Type 2 diabetes
🔹 Metabolic syndrome
🔹 Family history of heart disease
🔹 Cardiovascular risk despite taking statins

💊 Taking a statin?
Statins are effective, evidence-based medications that reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. However, LDL cholesterol and ApoB don’t always change in the same way. Discussing your overall risk profile with your GP can help determine whether additional markers may be useful.

🥗 Nutrition still plays an important role:
✅ Increase soluble fibre (oats, barley, legumes, psyllium)
✅ Choose unsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish)
✅ Reduce excess saturated fats and ultra-processed foods
✅ Support blood glucose and metabolic health

❤️ Heart health is about more than one number. Your cholesterol results, lifestyle, genetics, medications and metabolic health all work together.
Insightful article can be found here with your questions answered. ↩️

https://www.ferfitdietetics.com.au/post/apob-test-ldl-cholesterol-statins-cardiovascular-risk-heart-health
OR
https://ferfit.page.link/r22Z

At FerFit Dietetics & Nutrition, we help you understand your results and create practical, personalised strategies to support cardiovascular health.

ApoB, LDL cholesterol and statins how do they really affect your heart health? Learn the difference between particle number (ApoB) and cholesterol amount (LDL-C), why ApoB can be a better risk marker, and how statins help reduce cardiovascular risk. Read the full guide by Accredited Practising Dietitian Julia Haimovich: https://wix.to/rnrMaMF
https://wix.to/LyL1v5B

ApoB Test, LDL Cholesterol, Statins: Cardiovascular Risk & Heart Health Melbourne ApoB Test and LDL Cholesterol: How Statins Support Cardiovascular Risk Reduction and Heart Health.Apolipoprotein B, commonly called apoB, measures the number of potentially harmful cholesterol-carrying particles circulating in your blood. When considering an ApoB test, LDL cholesterol, statins, card...

🍎 Can fibre protect your liver from fructose? The gut microbiome may hold the answer! 🦠

We often hear that fructose contributes to fatty liver disease and in excess, this is true. When too much fructose reaches the liver, it can be converted into fat, contributing to insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction.

But new research suggests the story may not only be about how much fructose we consume… but what happens to it before it reaches the liver. 🔬

A fascinating 2025 study published in Nature Metabolism found that feeding mice inulin (a type of prebiotic fibre) changed their gut bacteria not the amount of fructose entering the gut or the animals’ own sugar metabolism.

The fibre encouraged beneficial bacteria, including Bacteroides acidifaciens, to break down fructose in the small intestine before it could travel to the liver.

The mice showed:
✅ Less liver fat
✅ Improved insulin sensitivity
✅ Reduced markers of liver fibrosis

The exciting part? The fibre wasn’t “blocking” fructose it was feeding the bacteria that helped process it. 🌱

However, it is important to remember: this was a mouse study. We do not yet know if the same mechanism occurs in humans.

What we do know? Fibre-rich diets support metabolic health, improve gut microbiome diversity, help regulate blood glucose and are linked with lower risk of chronic disease.

The future of nutrition may not only focus on what we eat but also on the microbes that help us process our food. 🧬

Your gut bacteria are not just passengers… they may be active players in your health journey. 🌿

Want to learn more? Read here

https://www.ferfitdietetics.com.au/post/fatty-liver-fructose-fibre-microbiome-masld
OR
https://ferfit.page.link/8WQx

🥩 20 g of protein… but does it always build the same muscle? 💪

We’ve always focused on how much protein we eat after training.

But new research suggests we should also ask:

“What comes with that protein?” 🤔

A 2025 randomised controlled trial found that the same amount of protein (20 g) from a lean pork meal stimulated a greater short-term muscle protein synthesis response compared with a higher-fat pork meal. 🧬

Why?

Because fat can slow gastric emptying, which may delay how quickly amino acids especially leucine, the key “trigger” for muscle protein synthesis reach the bloodstream. ⚡

Does this mean you should avoid fat after exercise?
Absolutely not.

Healthy fats are essential for:
✅ hormone production
✅ brain health
✅ vitamin absorption
✅ overall metabolic function

The practical message:

🏋️‍♀️ If your priority is maximising immediate recovery after resistance training, a lean protein source may have an advantage.

But long-term muscle growth still depends on the full picture:

🥩 Enough daily protein
🏋️ Progressive resistance training
😴 Quality sleep
🔥 Adequate energy intake
🥗 Overall diet quality

The question is changing:

❌ “How much protein did you eat?”
✅ “What was that protein packaged with?”

Nutrition is not only about numbers it’s about the context behind those numbers. 🔬

Find all the answers for your questions here ↩️

https://www.ferfitdietetics.com.au/post/sports-nutrition-fat-protein-absorption-post-workout
OR
https://ferfit.page.link/CUSU

New blog: Should you avoid fat after a workout? Our clinical dietitian breaks down the latest evidence on how fat in a post-workout meal can affect protein absorption and short-term muscle protein synthesis. Read practical takeaways for choosing lean vs higher-fat protein meals and what matters most for long-term gains. Read more: https://wix.to/NKRY1x9

Does Fat Slow Post-Workout Protein Absorption? A Clinical Dietitian's Review of the Latest Evidence Beyond the Anabolic Window: Total Daily Protein vs. Immediate Post-Workout AbsorptionProtein recommendations after resistance training have traditionally focused on one number: consume approximately 20–30 g of high-quality protein to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS). However, new research ...