Column #434       December 22, 2023

When people visit their doctor, the first things the doctor wants to know are the patient’s weight, height, and blood pressure. So far so good. Then they ask about diabetes and cholesterol. This requires a blood test. After looking at your blood test they can tell if you have diabetes and make guesses as to your chances of MI and stroke.

Nao Medical describes MI and stroke as: “Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and two of the most common conditions that fall under this umbrella are myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. While both conditions can be life-threatening, they have different causes, symptoms, and treatments.”¹

To answer the question about MI and stroke, doctors look at cholesterol numbers. The interpretation of cholesterol numbers usually follows a ritualistic pattern that’s decades old.


Take note that Cleveland Clinic states that total cholesterol must be less than 200 if you want to be “heart healthy.” Well, if you’re a real meat eater it won’t be below 200. In fact it would be shocking if it is less than 250. I’ve known this for more than 20 years and have had numerous doctors express their dismay at my high cholesterol numbers. It doesn’t even make them blink when I tell them that when my HDL (the good cholesterol) number is near 100, it’s virtually impossible to have total cholesterol level lower than 250.²

What inspired me to write another column about cholesterol was Dr. Kevin Stock’s recent December 16, 2023, “Saturday 7" letter. Many readers of my column get his short letter, so they are already ahead of me on this column. Therefore, I’m not going to review what he said, but add to his factual, in-depth comments with my personal notes. His letter, footnoted below, is must reading for the bigger picture on cholesterol.³

Over the years I’ve also quoted a 2013 BMJ analysis, “Saturated Fat Is Not the Major Issue,” written by Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a cardiology specialist. BMJ is a prestigious medical journal which is owned by the British Medical Association. His succinct report is loaded with excellent information and I encourage you to read it too. To whet your appetite I’ll quote one important paragraph that every doctor should be aware of.^{4 5}

"Saturated fat has been demonized ever since Ancel Keys' landmark ‘even countries’ study in 1970. This concluded that a correlation existed between the incidence of coronary heart disease and total cholesterol concentrations, which then correlated with the proportion of energy provided by saturated fat. But correlation is not causation. Nevertheless, we were advised to cut fat intake to 30% of total energy and saturated fat to 10%. The aspect of dietary saturated fat that is believed to have the greatest influence on cardiovascular risk is elevated concentrations of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Yet the reduction in LDL cholesterol from reducing saturated fat intake seems to be specific to large, buoyant (type A) LDL particles, when in fact it is the small, dense (type B) particles (responsive to carbohydrate intake) that are implicated in cardiovascular disease."⁴

It’s the small, dense (type B) LDL particles (also known as VLDL) that when in excess can cause MI and stroke. The large, buoyant (type A) LDL particles—that come from saturated fats found in dairy and meats—tend not to cause blockages! So, it turns out that the type A LDL comes from foods doctors tell you to avoid! Yet, for years now, Dr. Malhotra has been stating that “Adopting a Mediterranean diet after a heart attack is almost three times as powerful in reducing mortality as taking a statin.” In other words, he sees meat in the diet as a positive for avoiding MI and stroke.^{6 7}

So let’s look at my blood test. For certain, I’m an above average meat eater with a high cholesterol number. Doctors seem to freak out about my cholesterol levels and don’t understand my explanation for why I won’t change my diet. In fact most think I’m nuts which means they are living in the 1970s and not the modern world.

My cholesterol numbers are on display from the blood test report that’s displayed as the main image for this column. They are:
●    HDL is 94
●    LDL is 155
●    Total HDL is 262
●    LDL/HDL ratio is 1.65
●    Calculated VLDL is 13
●    Triglycerides are 67 (not shown in image)

My Non-HDL cholesterol and my LDL cholesterol are automatically red-flagged in this report as being too high. Yet my 1.65 LDL/HDL ratio is considered to be very low—meaning my good HDL cholesterol is heart protective. This fits with my exceptionally low 0.4 results from the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) test which means my relative risk of future MI or stroke is very low.⁸

Consequently, because I’m a meat eater and my cholesterol is high, I certainly don’t need a blood thinner because my risk of blood clots is already very low. Now try to explain that to your doctor. If he doesn’t get it, he’s behind the times by going on a couple of decades.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

For additional reading:

1. MI vs Stroke: Understanding the Differences and How Nao Medical Can Help from Nao Medical

2. Cholesterol Numbers and What They Mean from Cleveland Clinic

3. What We Got Wrong (part 1) Saturday 7 -- 12/16/23 by Kevin Stock

4. Saturated Fat Is Not the Major Issue by Dr. Aseem Malhotra interventional cardiology specialist registrar, Croydon University Hospital, London

5. BMJ.com

6. Long-Term Use Of Statins Linked To Heart Disease: Studies by Vance Voetberg via The Epoch Times

7. I Am Going to Red-Pill You about Vegetable Oils by Dr. Simon Goddek from X

8. High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) Test from Mayo Clinic