Barbell Medicine Podcast Episode #165: The Science on Cholesterol
Jan 26, 2022
Austin Baraki, a physician specializing in lipidology, joins to unpack the complexities of cholesterol and heart health. He distinguishes between LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol, emphasizing the importance of Apolipoprotein B as a marker for cardiovascular risk. The duo discusses practical dietary advice, highlighting fiber's significant cholesterol-lowering effects and the role of exercise. They also tackle common misconceptions about cholesterol, emphasizing the need for comprehensive risk assessments and exploring innovative treatment options.
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Lifelong Lipoprotein Exposure Drives Risk
- Higher circulating lipoprotein levels across the lifespan increase atherosclerotic heart disease risk.
- Baraki highlights decades of converging evidence linking lipoproteins to plaque and reduced mortality when levels are low.
Standard Panels Measure Cargo, Not Ships
- Standard lipid panels measure cholesterol mass on different lipoprotein classes, not particle number.
- That explains why HDL/LDL labels as 'good' or 'bad' are simplifications of a more complex process.
Cholesterol Travels Inside Lipoproteins
- Cholesterol is a lipid carried in the blood inside lipoprotein particles, not free-floating cholesterol.
- Lipoproteins are the transport 'barges' that determine what labs actually measure on a lipid panel.