Mind & Matter
Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it.
The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today.
Not medical advice.
At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it.
As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint.
My beliefs:
- Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
- All knowledge is provisional and we must work hard to prevent ourselves from becoming attached to our favorite ideas & preferred conclusions.
- Wisdom comes from an iterative, trial-and-error process of learning and unlearning. Letting go of pre-conceived notions can be painful, but pain is information.
Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:
- “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)
- “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)
- “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)
Mind & Matter
Ketogenic Diet: Cholesterol, Plaque & Heart Heart | Matthew Budoff | 223
Short Summary: Heart health and the ketogenic diet, with expert insights from a cardiologist and researcher.
About the guest: Matthew Budoff, MD, is a preventive cardiologist and professor of medicine at UCLA School of Medicine.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Dr. Matthew Budoff discusses cholesterol, heart disease, and his study on the ketogenic diet’s impact on lean, metabolically healthy individuals with high LDL cholesterol. He explains LDL, HDL, and triglycerides, debunking myths about their direct link to heart disease, and emphasizes the importance of coronary calcium scans to assess plaque buildup. Budoff also covers statins, dietary cholesterol, and personalized heart health strategies.
Key Takeaways:
- LDL cholesterol is not a definitive predictor of heart disease; plaque buildup, assessed via coronary calcium scans, is a better indicator.
- Lean metabolically healthy people on a ketogenic diet may have high LDL without increased plaque progression after one year.
- Coronary calcium scans, costing ~$100, are recommended for men around age 40 and women around 45-50 to evaluate heart disease risk.
- Statins effectively lower LDL and can reverse soft plaque, but may be overprescribed for those without plaque buildup.
- Dietary cholesterol has minimal impact on blood cholesterol, as the liver produces ~85% of it.
- Ketogenic diet can aid weight loss & diabetes control but may cause high LDL in some lean individuals, known as lean mass hyper-responders.
- Plaque progression depends more on existing plaque than LDL levels in metabolically healthy ketogenic diet followers.
- Heart health varies widely due to genetics and other unknown factors, underscoring the need for personalized assessments.
Related episode:
- M&M #158: Ketosis & Ketogenic Diet: Brain & Mental Health, Metabolism, Diet & Exercise, Cancer, Diabetes | Dominic D'Ago
All episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack
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