Many of us have been told by our doctors that we need to lower our cholesterol levels. But what does that mean, exactly? And do standard lipid profiles really tell us the full story about what is going on with our cholesterol?
In this minisode, Dr. Hyman sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Boham to discuss the importance of cholesterol particle testing. They explore why other cholesterol tests are outdated and why information about particle size and particle number is the only way to know what’s really going on with your cholesterol.
Elizabeth Boham is a physician and nutritionist who practices Functional Medicine at The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Through her practice and lecturing, she has helped thousands of people achieve their goals of optimum health and wellness. She witnesses the power of nutrition every day in her practice and is committed to training other physicians to utilize nutrition in healing. Dr. Boham has contributed to many articles and wrote the latest chapter on Obesity for the Rankel Textbook of Family Medicine. She is part of the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been featured on the Dr. Oz show and in a variety of publications and media including Huffington Post, The Chalkboard Magazine, and Experience Life. Her DVD Breast Wellness: Tools to Prevent and Heal from Breast Cancer explores the Functional Medicine approach to keeping your breasts and whole body well.
This episode is brought to you by Belcampo. Right now, you can order Belcampo’s sustainably-raised meats to be delivered to your door using my code HYMAN at Belcampo.com/Hyman for 20% off for first-time customers.
Find Dr. Hyman’s full-length conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Boham, “Cholesterol Is Not The Cause Of Heart Disease” here:
It’s news to me. I never heard of this test before. Thank you Dr Hyman for this podcast.
Right, I’m glad it’s getting out to mainstream now. Ten years ago, I had read about this as the first studies came out. I tried to get my doctor, then, to test me for it and he laughed at me and said we don’t do that. He claimed that there’s nothing that can be done about it, therefore, it’s a pointless test.
@robert pulsin You are well ahead of the curve. Great!
Great video, neither Cholesterol or LDL is a predictor or cause of heart disease, for older people higher cholesterol is associated slightly with increased longevity. The cause of heart disease is oxidative stress leading to artery damage, caused by smoking, diet and other lifestyle factors, especially over consumption of poly unsaturated fats, and excessive carbohydrate leading to insulin issues. Cholesterol levels only become relevant if there is atherosclerosis. The trend of trying to lower cholesterol (statins) for individuals with no atherosclerosis is going to be looked back upon as a scandal. But further, it is looking like the cholesterol in atherosclerosis plaques may not come from LDL in the main. The initial atherosclerosis seems to come from accumulation of red blood cells and not LDL.
What is needed here is genuine independent research into all this, unfortunately neither the statin manufacturers, the healthcare systems seem to want to do this research. At the moment it suits the medical industry to use an antiquated cholesterol scan to prescribe statins, everyone gets paid and there’s no harm except to the patient, who the medical people can blame for their own problems. The ultimate con.
Here in the UK. Something called “Quality of Outcome Framework” ensures GP’s continue to prescribe statins to almost everyone over the age of 50. The GP’s are paid by the healthcare system to do this.
So,if atherosclerosis is there ,then statins are going to stop its progression by limiting the cholesterol production??is this a healthy thing to do ??.
You nailed it!
In Canada iBig pharma paid 151 millions to doctors and hospitals for prescribing their drugs. Statistic 2017/2018
@UAEBIF VIDEOIn essence yes theoretically. But the actually mechanism where cholesterol in small LDL particles is bound into the endothelium is poorly understood, and some of that plaque cholesterol has been identified as coming from red blood cells through a completely different mechanism. However, less LDL in the circulating blood may result in the plaque building up slower, you can hardly limit red blood cells! Unless the cause of the atherosclerosis is not corrected, then you are inhibiting the production of essential molecules (cholesterol, CoEnzymeQ10 plus others) which may have other consequences.
The bigger risk factor for atherosclerosis is insulin resistance and metabolic disease. Statins appear to increase the risk of these by 10% (1 in 10 people on statins will then develop diabetes) and 60+% of people with diabetes die of CHD or CVD. So if this is correct, statins are more likely to cause CHD and CVD by pushing patients into diabetes, who then have a higher risk of CHD and CVD as a result. This is why most statin studies don;’t measure all cause mortality, and only measure effectiveness in reducing cholesterol, as otherwise no health system would approve their use, 0% benefit to all cause mortality is hardly a marketable statistic!
A better treatment plan would be to scan patients for atherosclerosis, and put people on statins for a limited period of time, whilst the plaque is reduced. Once/if atherosclerosis goes away discontinue statins. It’s a surprise this isn’t the recommended use of statins, though I expect the money earning potential is much reduced.
@Eva B Its shocking. But makes it clear and obvious why there is such a robust response whenever anyone tries to challenge the use of statins for primary prevention. The pharma company and the prescribers both benefit. Its an obvious conflict of interest.
How expensive is this test? Do insurance companies pay for it?
Mine did. Bcbs/federal and tricare.
What does nmr stand for?
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Same principle as MRI. Chemists have been using NMR spectroscopy for decades. When the size was increased to fit a human (instead of a small sample tube), the word nuclear was dropped so as not to scare people. Nuclear in this case refers to nucleus not bombs. LOL.
Great Information! Thank you!
Thank you for going into depth, Both of my parents had heart problems.
Not to worry. The genetic portion of heart disease and CVD is not genetic but metabolic.
Try getting your doctor to do any of these tests. My doctor has almost thrown me out of the office for it.
Throw your doctor out… get a new one!!!
Robert, I’m with you. My doctor at Kaiser, thinks I’m nuts for asking about these tests. They don’t know about them, nor do they offer them.
@Milica Marsha Stefanovich yeah, and she wanted to put me on a Statin, and I told her the only way I would consider a Statin is if we have these tests done first. But of course I probably wouldn’t even do it then. 🙂 When I took up fasting three months ago, she told me she’s not on board with these Fad diets! I’m off two blood pressure medications oh, I feel GREAT. I look a lot better.
Get a new doctor – you’re the boss of your health / body, not the other way around. When WE finally take back that power and relegate doctors where they should be, our EMPLOYEES, then – and only then, will our country get back its overall health. Dr. Hyman is great – really, but we’re responsible for our health, take charge people!!!
I am running to my doctor and asking for the particle test along with my regular cholesterol levels! Great information
I really need to find a functional medicine doctor in Central Massachusetts. I’ve been on BP meds for a few years now, and it was clearly a result of IR and sleep deprivation. I fast, I eat keto, and averaging over 6 hrs of sleep a night now (up from 3), but my BP is still higher than it should be (139/88 at last home reading). It’s so frustrating, and my current doctor (traditional medicine) is closing her practice, so this would be the perfect time to find a functional medicine doc.
Check out this book by Stephen T Sinatra, MD, METABOLIC CARDIOLOGY. Bottom line supply your body with nutrients the cellular structure of your heart needs to function right. Through food and suppliments. L carnitine, d ribose, magnesium, coenzyme Q10
Mayo Clinic has this test
So fascinating and grateful for this information. Just saw my heart doc and sometimes I wonder if some of these doctors really went to school.
I had these tests done. I just told my doc I wanted advanced cholesterol testing. No problem. My insurance even paid for it. I found out reassuring things; optimal particle number, optimal peak size, and Pattern A. Paternal side of family has heart disease issue. I’m hoping my numbers mean I dodged a genetic bullet. OR maybe it’s a few years of avoiding processed foods/sugar and lots of the GOOD saturated fat.
How are these tests know in the U.K.?
I tried to get our doctor to do this test for my husband because he has high ldl..but doctor said they can’t do this test and that some of these types of tests have to be done in hospital?
Like everyone else trying to figure out how to get this test done. Go to an Intergrative Doctor and they don’t do it…go figure??? Going to keep trying
Thanks for sharing this! I was just talking with someone about this issue and a few minutes later this interview popped up. (Is my iPhone eavesdropping???) I will be insisting my doctor give me this test.
hdl 104, is that adequate?
Do the “fluffy” LDL dump trucks take their cholesterol to various cells for energy? Doesn’t that make them smaller? Great information about the tests. My doctor is pretty much oblivious to supplements, IF, and keto in general, but I think he’ll run this test if he has access to it, I think. It will be my last visit to him if he won’t.