Does Cholesterol Really Causes Heart Attacks? 

'Bad' cholesterol is a misnomer. Instead, it's the concentration of ApoB lipoproteins that really matters with respect to cardiovascular disease. At the end of the video, I explain how to lower your ApoB levels. 📜 Roadmap - how to look young & feel strong: drstanfield.com/pages/roadmap 💊 MicroVitamin (multivitamin & mineral that I take): drstanfield.com/products/microvitamin

This dude is likely taking all of his own advice and has a blotchy complexion, oily skin, weird skin anomaly's, skin tags that are new... , rather lazy unfocused eyes, skinny with a neckline swelling over his collar. We'll see how all of his "debunking" with a clear bias against fat- treats him over his lifetime. Its damn sure not looking good for him right now. Look at a picture of this dude next to Dr. Berg who is significantly older. Tell me who is on the right train. Follow who you will, trust your body.

I gave up on relying on "studies" and go with simple experiences that people have observed. There are way to many variables involved in studies so they need to be handled very carefully to rules out secondary or tertiary influences. Hospitals have been noticing a higher incidence of heart attacks in people who have "healthy" cholesterol levels. Simple test, record cholesterol levels of every patient who comes in with heart problems and wait 10 years. This "test" started back to the 1990's. Why hasn't this information been made more available until recently? Because it doesn't support big Pharma's and the food industries. Inflammation is the cause of why the lipoproteins get "stuck" in the blood vessel wall, remember, correlation does not equal causation. If the vessel wall is healthy the lipo's go right through.

The Blood biomarker profiles and exceptional longevity: comparison of centenarians and non-centenarians in a 35-year follow-up of the Swedish AMORIS cohort study says otherwise

I lean more toward Dave Feldman's LDL analysis.

I cut my apo(b) and lpl(a) in half going from high carb to high fat, low carb. Recommending low fat for better CVD risk is not rooted in science. Otherwise people with chronically high LDL should almost always have positive calcium artery scan scores, but we find many with 0 calcification. Need to stop relying on weak epidemiology

On the same Cochrane review that you mention (which can be seen in your video at the bottom of the page - below the section you highlighted) it states clearly that reducing saturated fat had no effect on all-cause mortality, so why bother.

It is so disappointing to see yet another video not sharing what the actual 'plausible mechanism' for how LDL-P/LDL-C or ApoB (or whatever) actually causes CVD. The sharing of the transcytosis didn't share anything other than there is a process where the particles move into and out of the cells- a process that happens all over the vascular tree- not how the process 'goes wrong' if you will. The theory of retention falls flat in explaining why plaques don't form everywhere- after all, if it is simply 'high' concentrations- the blood will expose all arteries, veins, capillaries, etc to the 'high' concentration- so why then do plaques not form everywhere? The answer cannot be 'high LDL is the cause, except where it isn't', not in my book anyways. You state that this is important- that we have to get it right- that the stakes are high... I agree, I submit getting louder and louder while demanding 'high LDL' (or apoB) is the cause drowns out interest and much needed study into the *real cause. What's a *realistic 'plausible mechanism'?

Bart Kay incoming.....

This doctor tries to debunk the Keto assertion that heart disease is not caused by inflammation but elevated LDL. So I looked at the BMJ paper he used to back up his statement (see link in comments). Guess what? The level of cardiovascular health was determined by… a lifestyle questionnaire😂😂😂😂😂 Not the levels of c-reactive protein or any other blood test result that would be definitive and object. So another failed debunking by this doctor as he tows the line of big pharma. Heart disease is caused by inflammation. Period. Cholesterol is a band aid laid down in response to inflammation by the immune system. Keto and other low carb diets help prevent the inflammation by starving the organism causing the inflammation. The organism is called nanobacteria and it was a huge breakthrough all the way to 2008 when the NIH came in and said it doesn’t exist and is instead a self organizing calcium crystal. Funny because calcium crystals don’t produce R16S ribosomes or respond to tetracycline antibiotics! This guy is going to continue coming out against every single piece of health advice not supported by the pharma cartels who profit off of disease.

Bart Kay is coming for you

What is the evidence that if you are insulin sensitive you will still have atherosclerosis?

I was like here we go, A DR talking about Cholesterol. But it was ok, I didn't hear a mention of the balance between Triglycerides? I've replied to a comment about the problem with western medicine (and how doctors are trained), western science (isolate everything) and how that is not how the human systems work at all. The main study you have used is also correlation, there is no evidence from this video that high LDL-C actually causes this, it's just been present in a section of people (some of whom were obese so had insulin issues and it's this king of thing that confuses a lot of people if not all and is why you get the problem of 'coffee is great for you, no wait coffee will kill your brain' it doesn't matter what the study is and actually the studies that aren't done to the gold standard of controlling every variable are better for information. You seen this with the V 'specialists' over the last 3 years, focused entirely on the shock protein not the N protein which is where our immune systems generate deep immunity from. Hence we have a situation where the overload and delivery mechanism of the shock protein is toxic and is popping hearts. My personal results would make you cry I think as I have 3.15mmol LDL-C my cholesterol ratio is 'normal' at 31.5% but my crp is 0.4% (this for me is the absolute main metric I track) My insulin and metabolic flexibility is on point, my Qrisk is minimal. 'CRP seems to predict the chance of having cardiovascular problems at least as well as cholesterol levels. A recent study found that elevated levels of C-reactive protein were associated with three-times-greater risk of a heart attack.' Cholesterol has also been shown to be all cause mortality protective as we age Associations across standard classifications of TC Compared to the desirable levels of

You clearly have best intentions, however I challenge you on your comments about ‘influencers’… The so called influencers that I learn from are: Cardio Thoracic Surgeon Cardiologist Orthopedic Surgeon MD family practitioner Many MDs PHD in Nutrition Human Biologist So to state that ‘influencers’ in a somewhat less than respectable manner is misleading. Also, the cholesterol myrh was debunked in the early 1980s study.

Cant wait for this to be debunked by Bart Kay

spin baby spin

Please advise - are there studies or recommendations on the risks/benefits of someone with one copy of APOE4 taking statins (due to elevated Lp(a) of 53mg/dl)?

Some truths, mixed with a lot of halftruths and outright lies. Brad is a charlatan.

I should appologize because this seems like the old story of cholesterol, and I am not sure what it does to control for ApoA, ApoB, ApoC or ApoE. What about the inflammation theory of heart disease? I thought it might more sense that cholesterol try to repair the inflamed coronary artery. Then should we care about staying away from what causes inflammation. Why would the numbers of ApoB particles matter if the arteries are not inflamed?

docs get money every med they get you to have.

This information is in direct contrast to what the keto/carnivore advocates say about cholesterol. you never mentioned triglycerides. why are there so many long term keto and carnivore people thriving. i know it's highly individual, but why would there be a good number of people who eat high saturated animal fat and don't develop any problems? i personally started a high protein high fat diet where i have eliminated all processed foods and try to eat mostly animal fats although i have eaten 1-2 tbs of coconut oil a day for over 10 years. I'm 54 and very lean with no health issues. I guess i'll check the ApoB to see what it says. The internet is FULL of actual doctors giving contradictory health information, so nothing is reliable. The only thing that is probably universal is that sugar, seed oils, and processed foods probably are the root of all sickness.

This doc is pretty good at mixing a few facts with a whole lot of half-truths and even downright lies. I'm so glad that he has been repeatedly debunked by Prof. Bart Kay (his latest video about this guy is a must-watch).

Brad - can you invite guys like Paul Mason, David Diamond, and Tim Noakes (probably others too) to have a discussion with you. Heck invite someone like Ken Berry or Berg (keto/carnivore guys). Provide proof of the invite. If they decline or dont respond then that's on them. But hopefully someone would agree to talk with you. Everyone seems so confident and there always seem to be some data point that one can find to prove their point. I'd love an open conversation about some of the different studies from differing opinions. I do appreciate your videos. I like seeing all sides. But it's so difficult for a lay person. And the massive 'for profit' health and pharmaceutical system that we have leaves plenty open for one to be skeptical. I think thats where a lot of the problem lies. There's plenty of profit for the health system and there's plenty of money to be made by a large social media following with youtube and such. Ya'll also all seem to have your own supplement line and each person's is "the best, more pure". Its so difficult to know who is genuine and who isn't.

At 1:34 you specify that correlation is not causation, after a minute and 13 seconds, at 2:49, you let us know that there is a significant correlation between LDL and the presence of blockages in blood vessels.

My body transforms my cholesterol into beautiful skin. Doctor I am LOVING the unshaven look. X

Throwing out a bunch of studies with your rambling isnt going to convince anyone with whatever you say. You’re incoherent.

Why is someone with zero academic nutritional qualifications talking about nutrition? Stay in your lane and sell your statins like a good little symptomologist

In that PESA study 5-10% of the optimal 'healthy group' were obese. Average BMI was also very low so it looks like these people had little muscle mass. Not withstanding 30% of people in the highest LDL group were fine, so why aren't we looking at that?

Switching from red meat to chicken probably won’t make a big difference in terms of ApoB. Check out the study titled ”Effects of red meat, white meat, and nonmeat protein sources on atherogenic lipoprotein measures in the context of low compared with high saturated fat intake: a randomized controlled trial”

I was under the impression that people on carnivore have "dangerously" high cholesterol, but upon examination never have ANY blockage. Is this because the measured levels are for non-ApoB proteins?

You lower and get less heart disease ( which can be prevented by nutrition and exersice an,way), but introduce long term risk: alzheimer

Why don't you get atherosclerosis in veins, if high concentration of LDL "force" their way across the endothelium?

Regarding transcytosis of LdL particles across the endothelium, I have not seen a good analysis of the mechanisms and feedback that control this receptor mediated transport. Usually in the human body an energetically active process like this has positive and negative feedback mechanisms. If it is receptor mediated then it becomes a bit muddier than the previous idea of a purely concentration dependent flow across the endothelium. “Tiny bullets penetrating punching through the endothelium” was what some people would try and liken it to. It could still be the case that it is still concentration dependent if receptors are replaced rapidly and not down regulated.

This video focuses on risk of atherosclerosis but what about risk of death from any cause? LDL plays an overall role in the immune system and the association studies point to 130mg/dl as the LDL level for the lowest risk of overall death.

Cholesterol is like cars on a motorway as arteries.You cant blame the cars for the blockage when due to shitty diets and being obese your artieries turn into tiny village roads with the same traffic. Pretty much the best way to sum it up. Thanks for coming to my ted talk

Brad, have you looked at Dave Feldman's work in particular his latest findings? Have you read Dr Malcom Kendrick's book "the clot thickens"?

At 4:04 minutes of the graph it specifies that the lower the LDL-C the better. Yet I see that you seem to be bunching all LDL cholesterol as bad and point to KETO and carnivore as disagreeing with this without context. In a carnivore diet you do have high levels of LDL cholesterol, but it is not the LDL small dense particles like sdLDL-C which are prevalent in their bloodstream according to testing that I have seen Would you care to expand on your seeming posit that ALL LDL cholesterol is bad and whether that also applies to large fluffy LDL particles which do spike on a carnivore diet? I do know that in blood tests, unless it is a comprehensive one specifically looking for it, that all LDL is bunched together instead of separating how much is the sdLDL-C or large fluffy LDL.

3:49 WFPB and my cholesterol is 47mg/dl at 20. Might have even lower now. Definitely not genetic lottery, just gotta eat the right food. 7:37 You lost me there Dr. Stanfield, but about the saturated fat I do agree. The problem with high protein diets is that kidneys go in hyper filtration causing nephron damage also necrosis of nephrons, causing Proteinuria. eGFR plummets down hence Proteinuria. And even if then we look past all the kidney problems for protein. Animal protein also increases inflammation. Studies also suggest higher intakes are associated with lower life span

Not very balanced. Using the PESA study without mentioning conflicts of interest nor considering the subjects may have metabolic insulin resistance that’s asymptomatic. Why not discuss the plethora of studies showing the benefits of pattern A with higher amounts of fluffy LDL and cholesterol levels offering less all cause mortality. 😊

Wrong test for insulin resistance. Use kraft insulin assay test and CIMT Test.

Professor Bart Kay just gave you a good spanking for this video and misleading your patients.

Why are heart attacks on the rise when ldl is on the decrease with the use of statins?

I wanted to get ApoB tested, but my doctor's assistant (in Germany) said that there was no such laboratory value she could check within the clinical chemistry. Is there another name for it?

I have no idea what he’s trying to say.

FYI, standard lipid panels in the UK measure total and HDL cholesterol and now emphasise non-HDL cholesterol over LDL (calculated), since it represents the cholesterol in all apoB-lipoproteins and has stronger associations with CVD. Non-HDL cholesterol might be considered a poor mans apoB and make a good video topic? Personally my non-HDL is 60 with LDL 43 and HDL 52-60. I eat wholefood plant-based (SOS free), no meds.

Does the graph at 1:12 refer to total cholesterine or just LDL cholesterine?

I was doing a carnivore diet for some of my health issues. Now I have developed Afib instead at the young age of 25 years old. Going to try Mediterranean diet to see if i can reverse it. Wish me luck.

There is one big problem with the research you present as proof, they are picked to prove your point. There is also research concluding very different. For people that want the truth its very hard to find it, either follow those that say "we have the most research proving our point because we have a lot of funding" or follow those that say "we have a lot of research that prove something else, but since our view is newer the other guys have more research to support their claims". I dont want to build my health on "we have more people supporting our view that's why we are right". I want the truth not consensus. What we need is research that take a curious approach to this subject without any need to prove any side right or wrong, but to do research in a bigger picture, measuring things like inflammation, blood sugar, insulin resistance and other things that can effect heart problems, and following up with blodtests.

Most people would not disagree with what you say, but what has to be determined is whether there is a level of LDL that is too low for other tissues. CVD and all cause mortality are not the same thing.

"So let's address that point. "2:47 'significant correlation'. Thanks for addressing that, now I know not to worry 😊.

Great video. Many thanks for sharing Dr Stanfield

I keep trying to eat plant foods. But Everytime I go into a flare of one of my autoimmune diseases. I don't know what to do. I also can't have cellulose or starch which are in most supplements and medications. Both seasonal and digestive allergies to plants seem to grow. I get tested by a regular allergy and asthma specialist. And even though they say my allergies to all trees, grass, flowers are getting worse they don't believe it's connected to my bodies reactions to eating plants getting worse. My cholesterol is getting higher every year. But all I can eat without inflammation is meat, eggs, dairy and seafood. And high inflammation from my flares damaged my heart and gave me a floppy valve. But as long the inflammation stays down I won't need repair. So, what does a person like me do? If I eat food from plants my cholesterol goes down but my inflammation goes up. I mean WAY up. Sed rates and c-protien levels off the charts. One being in the 200s. I don't remember which one. But both dangerous. And if I don't eat plants that leaves only the animal products and my cholesterol is going up. So far my total cholesterol is 279. Female 118lbs 5'2" 50 years old. Basically it seems eating is going to give me a heart disease. Regardless of what I eat. 😔 P.S. I saw someone comment about skin. Since avoiding foods from plants my skin is beautiful. I look younger and I get lots of compliments. I don't know if any of that really says anything though about what's going on in the inside.

The dietary advice provided is largely consistent with current guidelines for cardiovascular health. However, it overlooks the complexity of individual responses to dietary components and the ongoing debates about the role of dietary cholesterol and saturated fats. Foods rich in saturated fats, such as red meats and full-fat dairy products, are frequently eaten with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and processed foods. These combinations can have different health effects than the consumption of saturated fats alone. The presence of these other nutrients may act synergistically with saturated fats, amplifying potential negative health outcomes, such as inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. The so-called "Western" dietary pattern, which is high in saturated fats, trans fats, sugars, and refined grains, and low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber, has been associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes. It can be challenging for researchers to isolate the effects of saturated fats from other aspects of these dietary patterns in observational studies.There's growing evidence that systemic inflammation plays a critical role in the development of atherosclerosis, possibly independent of cholesterol levels.

Please explain why the 1st study referenced is including results where the p value exceeds .05 in some cases greatly so, when established standards say any results where P exceeds 0.05 must be ignored as they are not significant. This misuse of the data means to me the whole study should be ignored. I would also point out even where the result is significant the benefit is only 1.5%, are the side effects worth such a low gain?

You're right Doctor Brad, the steaks are high.

3:18 - i dont get it. What RCTs are you talking about? You are referring to associational data, not RCTs.

APOB is only an indicator of insulin resistance. Triglycerides to HDL ratio is the best indicator.

Real interesting. Thanks for the research and info! I take a spoonful of Ceylon cinnamon in the morning and raw apple cider vinegar I'm the afternoon. I also fast during month of Ramadan

3:30 Completely disagree about winning the genetic lottery if your ldl is below 60mg/dl. Both my parents are on statins and two of my grandparents died of heart attacks yet my ldl is consistently below 60mg/dl without medication. I am active and eat a WFPB diet with approx 100g fibre per day. Of course not everyone can achieve optimal levels without statins but I am hardly a genetic outlier when it comes to this.

Statins to lower ldl , based on their published results, reduce 3 heart attacks per 100 people to 2 . I never hear brad discuss this .

I figure if its measured and there is a normal range it tends to like mean something otherwise people wouldn't waste their time measuring it 🙂. And in systems where healthcare is covered by some sort of insurance or public system they would not pay for a test to measure it if there was no valid medical reason. Hehe. Those two things alone aside from any other knowledge should probably be a good reason to pay attention to levels outside the normal range. We worry about being overweight. High BP, High blood glucose levels those are all bad things, but suddenly high cholesterol well that's okay. A lot of cognitive dissonance going on in folks to try to deal with the fact that they see an abnormally high level and its not age related (some things go up and down with age normally like serum alp levels etc) so that they can somehow feel secure in continuing to do something which is basically harmful for long term healthspan and lifespan. I have given up saying anything to these folks. They know its bad and the mental gymnastics they perform to try to explain it away proves it. /shrug

I keep my ldlc/apoB in low 40’s (around 1mmol/L) and at 66 my calcium score is zero, “no vessel disease” and “unremarkable valves” .. thanks to : 6k/day trail running , / CrossFit, / #WFPB + salmon, ezetimibe and rosuvastatin (10mg). All the diet, lifestyle and exercise couldn’t get my ldlc < 80mi/dl, (2.2mmol/dl).

My LDL-C is 54 mg/dl. It's that low because I eat a Vegan diet.

Such a complicated topic. Having LDL as low as possible reduces the risk of heart attacks but is correlated with increased risk of brain hemorrhages and infections. Then what would be the optimal LDL level to minimize all three risks?

Isn't fish sub-optimal, because it contributes to cholesterol? So we are better off cutting out the middle-man (fish) and consuming algae?

No mention of triglycerides, VLDL, Lp(a), and coronary Ca2+ scores? Recent study showed elevated VLDL and low LDL linked to the worst mortality from CVD compared to High LDL low VLDL which showed best outcomes.

Very clear, thank you.

Great video, very helpful information, thank you!

If LDL "causes" heart disease why do we only find atherosclerosis in arteries and not in veins?? Please explain....the same blood containing the same LDL circulates in the veins also.

The TG:HDL is a better marker than LDL C alone

The association study you cite - absolute rate lowered by 1.5%. Quite underwhelming and unimpressive, surely you did not go over the actual figures somehow though...as well as other factors like -what other lifestyle confounders and factors were or were not adjusted for in this study, etc. The details matter, especially in regard to an issue where you are opposing a certain approach.

6:15 - i'd like to hear more on this b/c Dr Ronald Krauss who contributed to the dietary guidelines for AHA said that i's the VLDL that's bad.

comments about cholesterol lowering medications and early onset dementia? my grandmother has been on some cholesterol medication for a month and is having memory issues

I'll see in a few years if carnivore will kill me if a HA or not, I have pretty much done all possible eating styles except for vegan, I have never felt as satiated with food as I feel right now on carnivore. Wish me luck 😂

What would be the long term impacts of suppressing your cholesterol levels to too low a level over an extended period of time? (Due to a strict diet and statin use).

We "Carnivores" don't yell nonsense, we use real studies. Wake up.

In the USA an apob test isn't much more expensive than a normal lipid test, but you get just one number.

Cholesterol is protective. ❤ It does not cause heart attacks. Look at children they are not killed by apob and cholesterol. 😜

At 5:00 you said lipoprotein concentrations are not the only thing we need to worry about. Also need to worry about: insulin, sugar, inflammation, bp, weight. Question: Why? Saying they are "risk factors" is a correlation until a mechanism is shown to be a causation.

At this point we can just say that modern medical science has no clue of what they are talking about.

@DrBradStanfield Great information and thank you for progressing the knowledge surrounding cholesterol! Do you have any further advice on accessing testing? In Australia we have a test for LDL Subfractions/Particle size, LD1, LD2, LD3, LD4, LD5 (Lipid Subfractions) available... Would one of these subfractions cover ApoB? I.e. does ApoB fit neatly in a subfraction?

guys, I'm that healthy guy with all perfect perfect markers, daily calisthenics training, cardio, animal based diet with the highest quality food sources, never drink or smoke, love to hunt and spend time outside, build houses, fasting, etc.... but my LDL is over 1000. "I will never take a statin drug", my doctor was like wtf. lol anyways im going to a lipids expert. Before than, dose anybody have a similar experience as me or have any info to help??

Does this mean that MCT oil is bad for us because it's high Saturated Fat?

LOL. During the Ice Ages the great majority of humans would have lived in tropical and subtropical areas where the climate was much milder.. and a plant based diet would likely have been the norm. Ice Age Europeans, likely a tiny minority of the total human population, were in any case almost completely replaced by farmers from the Middle East after the end of the last Ice Age. They left few descendants. Still, pointing that out wouldn't sell many sensational diet books I suppose.

Hey Dr Brad 🤡, Dr Bart Kay has handed your ar*se to you on a platter 😂 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oWNouiKT8JU.htmlsi=ChlNS36SbOG3eTCV😂

Correlation doesn't equal causation unless it's to make MY point 😂

Niacin and B12? After many years of all different supplement reading, I am drifting over time to think that these two vitamins may be very important for this function, especially as I get old. of course be careful of liver damage from high doses of niacin and we probably want the methylcobalamin (natural form) of b12 taken in a chewable tablet under the tongue. Would love see a video from the Doctor about these supplements. Thank you

The actual term is that correlation does not always equal causation.

You say, higher mortality with low LDL in all cause mortality study can be explained with sick patients , but that can be true other way round, patients with high LDL-C can be sick too. LDL-C goes up as example with inflammation. Half of patients dying with CVD have normal LDL-C , how can be LDL-C causal ?

I recall you mentioned that you take a statin prophylactically. Have you seen the research that statins somewhat increase calcification in arteries (despite obviously being a life savor to high risk populations)? Does that give you any pause for taking them over a long time horizon?

Man, I don't know what to believe anymore.

Brown and Goldstein won a Nobel Prize for their cholesterol research. In their Nobel lecture, they suggested that plasma LDL cholesterol levels between 25-60 mg/dl are physiologically normal for humans.

Lp(a) is not really smaller, it is actually larger than LDL

@3:58 wait the highlighted info here says LDL-C, that is the harmful kind of LDL, how would we know if our overall elevated LDL isnt benevolent without knowing the particle size? most typical tests wont test for it, so are we medicating without knowing?

those Jardiance commercials are sad

Wait for Lean Mass Hyper responders.

Apob is the issue

Eggs..just dont eat the yolks..

So, this video is very complex and hard for me to understand. What happens with a population that ingests no fiber and lots of sarurated fat ?

Cholesterol is an emulsifier.