Why have you been told to avoid saturated fault? Because of cholesterol. You’ve been told cholesterol causes heart disease. Wrong.
You need cholesterol for vitamin D production, sex hormones and brain health.
This focus on cholesterol has lead to the over-prescription of statins. In many cases, you can improve heart health without these drugs. Statins are mildly anti-inflammatory but carry many side effects. Fish oil can reduce inflammation and has no negative side effects. Citrus bergamot lowers triglycerides and inflammation and raises HDL cholesterol (the "good" kind).
Cholesterol is far more complicated than the two categories established decades ago. Particle testing is more reliable for getting an accurate picture of your own cholesterol. Of course, your cholesterol numbers won’t determine your risk for heart disease.
It’s more important to reduce your inflammatory risk by improving your diet and helping your gut microbiome than to worry about cholesterol.
Listen as Dr. Jonny Bowden joins Dr. Mike Fenster to preach the gospel of cholesterol.
Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, a.k.a. “The Nutrition Myth Buster” ™ is a nationally known board-certified nutritionist and expert on diet and weight loss. He has appeared on the Dr. Oz Show, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and CBS as an expert on nutrition has contributed to articles in the New York Times, Forbes, Daily Beast, Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, Men’s Heath, Prevention, and dozens of other print and online publications.