Can You Be Metabolically Healthy With High Cholesterol? with Dr Matt Budoff

Apr 17, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Dr. Matt Budoff, a prominent cardiologist and professor at UCLA, shares insights from his extensive research on cardiovascular imaging and prevention. He discusses how views on cholesterol have evolved, particularly regarding LDL levels in those adhering to ketogenic diets. Dr. Budoff highlights findings from his own KETO study, which suggest high LDL may not always indicate increased plaque burden in healthy individuals. He advocates for a nuanced approach to assessing heart health, emphasizing the importance of personalized dietary choices.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 2min

Decoding Cholesterol Levels and Cardiovascular Health

02:19 • 3min

Assessing Heart Health: Key Diagnostic Tests

05:25 • 3min

Rethinking Cholesterol: A New Perspective

08:33 • 17min

Understanding Diabetes Risk Assessment and LDL Responses

25:48 • 3min

Cholesterol and Heart Health in the Ketogenic Diet

29:18 • 15min

Exploring Dietary Impacts on Health

43:50 • 5min

Save 20% on all Nuzest Products WORLDWIDE with the code MIKKIPEDIA at www.nuzest.co.nz, www.nuzest.com.au or www.nuzest.com

This week on the podcast, Mikki speaks to Dr. Matt Budoff – a world-renowned cardiologist and researcher who has spent decades at the forefront of cardiovascular imaging and prevention. Known for his pioneering work in coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and computed tomography angiography (CCTA), Dr. Budoff has helped transform how we detect and assess heart disease risk.

In this conversation, we explore what first sparked his interest in cardiovascular imaging and how his views on lipids, plaque, and heart disease risk have evolved over time. We dig into his recent research on lifestyle interventions—particularly low-carbohydrate and ketogenic diets—and how they affect LDL cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and overall coronary health.

We also discuss the implications of his KETO study, which found no direct correlation between elevated LDL-C and plaque burden in lean, metabolically healthy individuals following a ketogenic diet.

Dr. Matthew J. Budoff is a distinguished cardiologist and professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He holds the Endowed Chair of Preventive Cardiology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and serves as the Program Director and Director of Cardiac CT in the Division of Cardiology

Renowned for his pioneering work in non-invasive cardiovascular imaging, Dr. Budoff has significantly advanced the use of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and computed tomography angiography (CCTA) to detect and monitor coronary artery disease. His research focuses on early detection methods for cardiac disease, aiming to identify high-risk patients and implement preventive strategies

Dr. Budoff has authored or co-authored over 50 books and book chapters and more than 2,000 articles and abstracts. His contributions have been recognised with numerous awards, including the Gold Medal Award from the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography and designation as a Master of the Society

Matt Budoff https://profiles.ucla.edu/matthew.budoff

LMHR https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.101109

Curranz Supplement: Use code MIKKIPEDIA to get 20% off your first order - go to www.curranz.co.nz or www.curranz.co.uk to order yours

Contact Mikki:
https://mikkiwilliden.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition
https://www.instagram.com/mikkiwilliden/
https://linktr.ee/mikkiwilliden