Everything You Need To Know About SEED OILS (Including One Cool "Trick" To Make Them Less Damaging), With Dr. Nick Norwitz

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Dec 18, 2025

Dr. Nick Norwitz, a Harvard-trained MD/PhD and metabolic health enthusiast, takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the surprising world of cholesterol and dietary fats. He reveals his eyebrow-raising Oreo experiment, where Oreos unexpectedly lowered LDL cholesterol more effectively than statins. With insights on seed oils, Nick critiques the oversimplified narratives around omega-6s, emphasizing the importance of whole foods over processed options. He also discusses how individual metabolic states can influence omega-6 handling, making it a must-listen for health enthusiasts.

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ANECDOTE

Oreo Vs Statin Self-Experiment

Nick Norwitz performed a crossover self-experiment comparing adding Oreos to keto versus high-intensity statin therapy.
Oreos lowered his LDL 71% in ~2 weeks, outperforming a statin which lowered LDL 32.5% over six weeks.

INSIGHT

Why LDL Rises On Low-Carb In Some People

LDL often rises on low-carb diets mainly in a minority: lean, insulin-sensitive people.
Norwitz links this to fat-fuel trafficking needing cholesterol-carrying particles, not simply dietary saturated fat intake.

ADVICE

Use Carbs As A Drug‑Sparing Option

Use targeted carbs as a clinical, drug-sparing tool to lower high LDL in lean mass hyper-responders.
Clinicians reported success adding 50–100 g carbs (fruits, starches) instead of immediately prescribing lifelong statins.

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Full Show Notes: BenGreenfieldLife.com/nicknorwitz

In this episode with Dr. Nick Norwitz, you’ll get to discover how a Harvard-trained MD/PhD used a simple, eyebrow-raising experiment with Oreos to challenge conventional thinking on cholesterol, metabolism, and the stories told about health.

We dive into his now-viral “Oreo experiment,” where adding Oreos to a ketogenic diet dropped his LDL cholesterol faster and more effectively than a high-intensity statin—an unexpected outcome that opens the door to deeper questions about lipid markers, risk factors, and how the body actually processes dietary fats.

Nick Norwitz MD PhD is a researcher-educator whose mission is to “Make Metabolic Health Mainstream.” He graduated Valedictorian from Dartmouth College, majoring in Cell Biology and Biochemistry, before completing his PhD in Metabolism at the University of Oxford and his MD at Harvard Medical School. Nick has made a name for himself as a clinical research and metabolic health educator, speaking and writing on topics ranging from brain health, the microbiome, mental health, muscle physiology, mitochondrial function, cholesterol and lipids, and so on.

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