Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Are you confused by what your cholesterol levels really say about your health?
Do you wonder if all the exercise and healthy eating you're doing even affects your cholesterol numbers?
Don't you wish someone could just spell it out in simple English and tell you what, if anything, you need to do to improve your heart and overall health?
You get all the answers from Jimmy Moore and I in today's podcast. Jimmy is a prolific and highly respected health blogger and podcaster, and in his new book “Cholesterol Clarity“, he interviews 28 of the world's top health experts from various fields to give you the complete lowdown on cholesterol.
You're going to be shocked at what you learn, and it goes way above and beyond Jimmy's freak thumb dislocation that revealed his entire musculoskeletal system was in a downward tailspin (don't worry, you'll hear how that relates to cholesterol when you listen in).
During our interview, I ask Jimmy:
-Why are your LDL-C and total cholesterol number not as important in determining your health as your doctor may think?
-So what *should* your doctor should be testing for?
-Where do HDL and triglycerides fit in?
-So when does cholesterol actually become “dangerous”?
-Why don't cholesterol-lowering statin drugs necessarily solve heart health concerns?
-Why is consuming saturated fat good and why are carbohydrates detrimental to attaining the best cholesterol numbers?
-Why there is a growing number of physicians, researchers and nutritionists who believe treating cholesterol numbers is virtually irrelevant?
Questions, comments or feedback about why cholesterol isn't bad? Leave your thoughts below! And be sure to grab the Cholesterol Clarity book by clicking here.
7 Responses
I'm glad for information that is backed by research like this. I've always hovered around 200 for my cholesterol, but now with triathlon training, my last cholesterol was 274. My PMD said I should start statins immediately. I said why, especially with low A1C, low C-reative protein, triglycerides of 75, and HDL of 74. It is not all about numbers as over the last two years I have become faster (8 min on 5k times, 10+ min on 10k, and almost 20 min on sprint tris), stronger, and been injury free! I'm with Kem, I'll keep my cholesterol high.
Well, there is this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21951982
And specifically this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC33038…
I’ll keep my cholesterol high.
I'd be pretty cautious gambling your health on the idea that cholesterol levels aren't worth paying any attention to. There's a lot of well-read people on this topic who don't hold that view. This site has some intelligent, well-researched counter opinion on this topic.
http://plantpositive.squarespace.com/18-cholester…
Very good podcast as usual. A lot of very hands on information.
Will it be possible to pre order the book at the English amazon and still get the discount?
Doesn't look like it. We'll have to get Jimmy to show the UK some love!
Yes, I was hoping for some transatlantic cholesterol love to avoid paying the import tax.
For most of the world, one needs to convert mmol/L to mg/dl which requires one constant for triglycerides and another for lipoproteins, to get the magic less than or greater than 2 ratio.