My Interview with Dr. Mercola On Cholesterol, Vitamin K, Insulin, Blood Lipids, CT Scans, Calcification, and Heart Disease

From a Christmas-celebrator to the rest of you, Merry Sixth Day of Christmas! I hope you're all enjoying whatever you might be celebrating during the season of expanding daylight and just plain enjoying life.

Dr. Mercola posted a video interview today that we had recorded a few weeks back, about cholesterol, vitamin K, insulin, blood lipids, CT scans, calcification, and heart disease. If you'd like to watch it, here it is!

If you'd like to read the article Dr. Mercola wrote about our interview, you can read it here:

Why Cholesterol is Essential for Optimal Health,

and the Six Most Important Risk Factors of Heart Disease 

And here's a table of contents so you can navigate your way through the interview if you'd like:

0:00:00 — Dr. Mercola introduces me
0:01:40 — Why cholesterol is good for you — my favorite topic!
0:07:24 — Why has cholesterol been so demonized?
0:15:30 —  Is it all about the money? And who's got all that cash?
0:19:22 — Stephanie Senneff and cholesterol sulfate
0:22:44 — Total-to-HDL-C ratio, a powerful predictor of heart disease, but not a cause.
0:28:44 — Total-to-HDL-C ratio as an inverse metabolic marker for LDL-C utilization
0:33:02 — Vitamin K2 (egg yolks and cheese!) protects against atherosclerosis by inhibiting blood vessel calcification and promoting cell survival (Mercola talks about his new, standardized K2-rich fermented veggies)
0:39:50 — Coronary calcium scores by CT scan
0:44:00 — Can atherosclerosis be reversed?
0:45:51 — Small LDL particles — cause, or marker? Their redundancy with total-to-HDL-C ratio. Lack of standardization in testing, expensive.
0:53:26 — Insulin (and leptin) protects against atherosclerosis by promoting thyroid activity and possibly by directly supporting LDL receptor activity; insulin resistance is thus probably a major cause of low LDL utilization.
0:57:14 — Insulin resistance as a natural adaptation to energy overload.
1:00:57 — It doesn't help to have maximal insulin sensitivity if you don't have any insulin; optimal insulin signaling probably requires some carbohydrate in the diet for most people.
1:02:25 — Why measuring total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol can be valuable even if you can measure your waist-to-hip ratio for practically free at home (a couple case studies demonstrating its value relating to insulin resistance and low thyroid activity).
1:14:06 — Stuff I'm working on, and goodbye!

Enjoy!

Join the Next Live Q&A

Have a question for me? Ask it at the next Q&A! Learn more here.

Subscribe

Subscribe or upgrade your subscription here.

Join the Masterpass

Masterpass members get access to premium content (preview the premium posts here), all my ebook guides for free (see the collection of ebook guides here), monthly live Q&A sessions (see when the next session is here), all my courses for free (see the collection here), and exclusive access to massive discounts (see the specific discounts available by clicking here). Upgrade your subscription to include Masterpass membership with this link.

Learn more about the Masterpass here.

Take a Look at the Store

• At no extra cost to you, please consider buying products from one of my popular affiliates using these links: Paleovalley, Magic Spoon breakfast cereal, LMNT, Seeking Health, Ancestral Supplements. Find more affiliates here.

• For $2.99, you can purchase The Vitamins and Minerals 101 Cliff Notes, a bullet point summary of all the most important things I’ve learned in over 15 years of studying nutrition science.

• For $10, you can purchase The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, my protocol for prevention and for what to do if you get sick.

• For $29.99, you can purchase a copy of my ebook, Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, my complete system for managing your nutritional status using dietary analysis, a survey of just under 200 signs and symptoms, and a comprehensive guide to proper interpretation of labwork.