The Dr. Hyman Show cover image

The Dr. Hyman Show

The Cholesterol Test You Should Be Getting

Apr 23, 2021
In this enlightening conversation, Elizabeth Boham, a physician and nutritionist at The UltraWellness Center, sheds light on cholesterol testing. She argues that traditional lipid profiles fall short by overlooking crucial details like particle size and number. Boham emphasizes the necessity for advanced cholesterol tests that provide a fuller health picture and discusses how diet influences heart health. Listeners are encouraged to take a proactive role in their health by seeking personalized assessments and understanding the implications of different cholesterol particles.
14:16

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Understanding cholesterol particle size and number is essential for assessing cardiovascular risk more accurately than traditional lipid panels.
  • Lifestyle and dietary choices significantly impact LDL particle characteristics, influencing overall heart health and cholesterol management strategies.

Deep dives

The Limitations of Traditional Cholesterol Testing

Traditional cholesterol panels primarily measure LDL, HDL, and total cholesterol, but these figures only offer a limited view of heart health. Important aspects, such as cholesterol particle size and number, are often overlooked in standard tests. The podcast highlights the analogy of cholesterol as 'dirt' and its carriers—cholesterol particles—as 'dump trucks', suggesting that both the size and quantity of the 'trucks' are crucial for assessing cardiovascular risk. A more comprehensive assessment via particle size testing is emphasized, as it can reveal whether an individual's cholesterol is composed of larger, less harmful particles or smaller, more dangerous ones.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode