The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee Best of 2025: Fiber, Cholesterol & Microplastics — What Everyone Wanted to Know
Dec 24, 2025
Dr. Michael Greger, a nutrition expert focused on plant-based diets, discusses foods that can effectively lower cholesterol. Cardiologist Dr. Danielle Bilardo shares why fiber is crucial for heart health and provides strategies for gradually increasing fiber intake, exemplifying her own 90 grams daily. Dr. Hana Kahleova highlights the troubling presence of microplastics in our bodies, detailing how diet can help cleanse them and offering practical kitchen tips to reduce exposure. Together, they provide actionable insights for better health.
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Daily Foods That Lower LDL
- Eat specific cholesterol-lowering foods daily to reduce LDL without drugs.
- Michael Greger lists targeted items (e.g., black soybeans, barberries, sumac, apples) with trial-backed effects.
No Safe LDL Threshold
- Lower LDL is continuously better; there's no safe threshold.
- New drug data shifted guidelines toward 'the lower the LDL, the better.'
Diet Can Rival Drug Effects
- Whole-food plant-based diets can outperform drugs in some heart-disease cases.
- Esselstyn's clinical experience suggested large reductions in cardiac events among adherent patients.