December 29, 2023 • 21 mins
Personally, I take no prescription medications. I do not take a statin drug to reduce cholesterol, nor baby aspirin. I take nothing for high blood pressure, acid reflux, or irritable bowel syndrome. I take nothing for headaches, pain, or sleep—not a single prescription medication.
Yet my blood pressure is typically around 108/72. My triglycerides are 40 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol is 94 mg/dl, and I have zero small LDL particles. My fasting glucoses are in the 80s mg/dl, last HbA1c was 4.8%, my liver markers are all at the low normal range with no fatty liver suggested. In other words, I have perfect metabolic health without reliance on any medication.
The majority of the followers of my programs likewise enjoy perfect metabolic health without reliance on any prescription medications. Of course, there are people who adopt the strategies of my program after incurring some form of irreversible damage such as permanent loss of pancreatic beta cells that result in type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis that results in impaired ability to produce thyroid hormones, or loss of stomach parietal cells that results in absence of stomach acid, hypochlorhydria. So key is to adopt these strategies before such permanent damage is done. People who have incurred such damage will therefore need to take insulin, thyroid hormones, or engage in efforts to acidify the stomach. But barring the development of such irreversible changes, the majority of us on my programs have no need for pharmaceutical medications.
So, in this episode of Defiant Health let’s discuss how and why, by adopting just a handful of strategies, how you can enjoy perfect metabolic health with no reliance on prescription medications.
This episode isn't just a narrative; it's an invitation to a revolution in health care, where the focus shifts from treating symptoms to nurturing the root causes of our ailments, empowering you to become the curator of your own health destiny.
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For BiotiQuest probiotics including Sugar Shift, go here.
A 15% discount is available for Defiant Health podcast listeners by entering discount code UNDOC15 (case-sensitive) at checkout.*
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Get your 15% Paleovalley discount on fermented grass-fed beef sticks, Bone Broth Collagen, low-carb snack bars and other high-quality organic foods here.*
For 12% off every order of grass-fed and pasture-raised meats from Wild Pastures, go here.
*Dr. Davis and his staff are financially compensated for promoting BiotiQuest and Paleovalley products.
Books:
Super Gut: The 4-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Personally, I take no prescription medications.
I don't take statin drug toreduce cholesterol, nor baby
aspirin.
I take nothing for high bloodpressure, acid reflux or
irritable bowel syndrome.
I take nothing for headaches,pain or sleep Not a single
prescription medication.
Yet my blood pressure istypically around 108 over 72.
(00:27):
My triglycerides are 40 mg perdeciliter, hdl cholesterol is 94
mg per deciliter and I havezero small LDL particles.
My fasting glucose is in the80s.
My last hemoglobin A1c was 4.8%.
My liver markers are all at thelow normal range, with no fatty
(00:48):
liver suggested.
In other words, I have perfectmetabolic health without
reliance on any medication.
The majority of the followers ofmy programs likewise enjoy
perfect metabolic health withoutreliance on any prescription
medications.
Of course, there are people whoadopt the strategies of my
program after incurring someform of irreversible damage,
(01:11):
such as permanent loss ofpancreatic beta cells that
results in type 1 diabetes,hashimoto's thyroiditis that
results in impaired ability toproduce thyroid hormones, or
loss of stomach parietal cellsthat results in the absence of
stomach acid, or hypocluridriaor achlorhydria.
So key is to adopt thesestrategies before such permanent
(01:34):
damage is done.
People who have incurred suchdamage will therefore need to
take insulin, thyroid hormonesor engage in efforts to acidify
the stomach, but, barring thedevelopment of such irreversible
changes, the majority of us onmy programs have no need for
pharmaceutical medications.
So in this episode of DefiantHealth, let's discuss how and
(01:54):
why, by adopting just a handfulof health strategies, you can
enjoy perfect metabolic healthwithout reliance on prescription
medications.
Choosing high quality productsto support your health journey
is also important.
This is why Paleo Valley is asupporter of my Defiant Health
podcast.
Their grass-fed, pasture-raisedbeef sticks, for instance, are
(02:17):
fermented, unlike nearly allother beef sticks.
If you haven't tried theirpasture-raised pork sticks,
you're in for a real treat, asthey are irresistibly delicious.
I'll also tell you aboutBiodquest, providers of unique
probiotic products that, in myexperience and the experience of
the followers of my program,are unlike all other probiotics
as they are crafted using thescientific insights of academic
(02:41):
microbiologist Dr Raul Cano, aninnovator in the concept of
collaborative effects amongmicrobes.
As I mentioned in theintroductory comments, I have
perfect metabolic health and Irely on no pharmaceutical
medications to maintain that.
Now, it wasn't always this way.
(03:02):
In fact, many years ago this isover 30 years ago I was a
metabolic disaster.
It all started because I hearda lecture by a colleague who
reported that when he took hispatients onto a program that
involved an extreme reduction indietary fat, saturated fat,
essentially avoiding all animalproducts, so a vegetarian diet
(03:24):
very low in fat, he reportedthat all sorts of positive
effects developed.
So I decided to give this a trymyself and many of my patients.
It was an absolute disaster.
I gained a lot of weight aroundmy waist.
My HDL good cholesterol droppedto a dangerous 27 mg per
deciliter.
My triglycerides increased to avery high 390 mg per deciliter.
(03:50):
I developed an abundance ofsmall LDL particles the real
cause of heart disease, not LDLcholesterol and my small LDL
particles numbered 1800 Nmol perliter, that's a particle count
per volume, which is very high.
I became a type 2 diabetic,with fasting glucose values in
160 mg per deciliter range.
(04:10):
I developed hypertension and itfelt awful.
Now this all happened on thatvegetarian, low fat diet,
despite the fact that I wasjogging 3 to 5 miles several
times per week, riding my bike,playing tennis.
In other words, I was veryactive.
Yet I became an absolutemetabolic disaster, a type 2
diabetic with all sorts of otherdistortions, and thereby on my
(04:34):
way to a future of heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and
other problems from thismetabolic disaster.
So I stopped following thatprogram and all those measures
improved over time.
I became a non-diabetic, mytriglycerides and all those
other measures improveddramatically.
But there was another series oflessons I learned after my mom,
(04:54):
after my mother died of suddencardiac death after her
successful two-vessel carnerangioplasm.
This is many years ago, and soI recognized that what I did in
a cath lab, that is, as aninterventional cardiologist
putting in stents and dilatingof ballooning arteries and all
those sorts of procedures toabort heart attacks and open
arteries that this was a veryunsatisfactory way to deal with
(05:16):
a dangerous disease, becausemany people died on route to the
hospital or died at home.
And so I asked is there a wayto identify risks, like my mom
had Months or even years aheadof time?
Well, people use cholesterolvalues, but those are useless.
If I told you your totalcholesterol is 240 mg per
deciliter, will you have a heartattack next week, next month,
(05:39):
in three years?
You can tell.
Cholesterol values are anextremely poor predictor of
future cardiovascular events.
So I was not happy with thatanswer.
Well, at the time.
This is now over 30 years ago,but it remains true even today.
The best predictor, by a longstretch is a coronary calcium
score obtained through a CTheart scan.
(06:01):
All that means is we scan theheart using devices that are
very rapid, because the heart isin motion, it has multiple
phases of motion.
There's breathing motion fromthe lungs, there's human motion,
just because people are fidgetybut a very rapid acquisition of
images so that we can quantifysub-millimeter quantities of
calcium.
(06:21):
And that's helpful because myfriend Dr John Rumberger, while
he was at Mayo Clinic,demonstrated that of
atherosclerotic plaque that'sthe material that accumulates in
your arteries, in your coronaryartery, your heart's arteries,
that leads to heart attacks andsimilar episodes that of that
plaque, 20% of the volume isoccupied by calcium.
(06:42):
So if we had two cubicmillimeters of calcium, we have
10 cubic millimeters ofatherosclerotic plaque and that
is a very powerful predictor offuture cardiovascular events.
A normal coronary calcium scoreis zero and any value above zero
signifies increasing risk.
(07:03):
So that people who have a scoreof 1,000 or greater have
approximately a 12% to 15%chance of dying or having a
heart attack or developingsymptoms that require some sort
of action like implanting stentsor bypass surgery every year.
So 12% to 15% per year risk ofthose events at a score as high
(07:23):
as 1,000 or more.
It also became clear and wehelped publish these evidence
that if you do nothing a scorewill increase approximately 25%
per year.
So a score, say, of 400, 500 ayear later, 625 another year
later and as with each leap inscoring you're closer and closer
(07:43):
to heart attack, death andother sudden and dangerous
cardiovascular events.
So what can we do to stop it?
So if it goes up 25% per year,what if we put you on a
high-dose statin cholesteroldrug like Lipitor, 40 milligrams
a baby aspirin, a low-fat dietand an exercise program, how
(08:04):
much will that slow theprogression increase in growth
of carnetary atheroscleroticplaque?
It has no effect whatsoever onthat measure.
So 400 will become 500 and soon.
And so that date that has beencorroborated numerous times.
That's what my colleaguescontinue to call, even to this
day, optimal medical therapy,even though it is an outright
(08:28):
failure.
So I set out to find out betterways to control this rise, this
otherwise relentless rise ingrowth of carnetary
atherosclerotic plaque.
By the way, the so-calledexperts were asked what should
we do?
If we can't put a stop to thegrowth of atherosclerotic plaque
by tracking carnet calciummeasures, what should we do?
And they actually said this.
(08:48):
Don't repeat the scan foranother score.
Just let people have theirheart attack or develop an angin
and manage it.
Then, as you know, this isridiculous.
It means that people are beingresigned to dying at home, dying
on route in the ambulance orother bad outcomes.
So I was unsatisfied with thatawful, awful answer.
(09:09):
So I set about trying to findways that really did put a stop
to the rise in carnetary calciumscores and the progression of
carnet atherosclerotic plaque,and it led to a number of unique
observations.
One of the lessons you learn isthat if you reject cholesterol
testing, this crude, outdatedthing we should have rejected 40
or 50 years ago and instead dida more thorough, more precise
(09:32):
method called lipoproteinanalysis, and the method I use
most of the law was nuclearmagnetic resonance, nmr.
So an NMR lipoprotein analysis.
These are easily available.
Every major lab does it.
It's covered by health insurersand Medicare, even though many
of my colleagues will claim thatit's not.
That's what they're reallysaying is I can't be bothered
(09:53):
understand this more advancedform of testing and so I'm going
to tell you it's unavailable,it's non scientific, there's no
evidence that it works or thatinsurance doesn't cover it.
None of that is true.
So when we took people's bloodand subjected to NMR lipoprotein
analysis became clear that it'snot LDL cholesterol that drives
growth of plaque, it's anabundance of small LDL particles
(10:18):
.
There's a number of reasons forthat.
Small LDL particles are smaller, they're better able to
penetrate into the arterial wallto create atherosclerotic
plaque.
Small LDL is much more prone tooxidation and glycation, that
is, glucose modification of theproteins in that particle.
And when they are glycated andoxidized or glycoxidized, that
(10:42):
particle, that small LDLparticle, is much more dangerous
, much more likely to gain entryinto the arterial wall and
incite an inflammatory response.
Small LDL particles are alsounusually persistent in the
bloodstream.
That's because when theparticle is small, when the LDL
particle is small, therecognition protein on its
surface, called apoprotein B,its configuration is changed and
(11:06):
it's partially concealed.
So the liver has a hard timerecognizing that small LDL
particle and the concealedapoprotein B.
As a result, while large LDLparticles that the liver does
recognize are cleared promptlywithin 24 hours of their
creation, small LDL particlesrequire five to seven days to be
(11:27):
cleared by the liver.
That means once you form smallLDL particles they're persistent
for about a week, going roundand around your circulation and
giving plenty of opportunity tocause or grow carnal
atherosclerotic plaque.
So the question I asked is whatfoods in the diet cause the
(11:47):
formation of small LDL particles?
Simple Wheat, grains and sugar?
There is more than ampleevidence to tell us that's the
amylopectin A of wheat andgrains and sugars such as
sucrose and fructose thattrigger the formation of small
LDL particles by the liver.
And, by the way, there are now55 human clinical trials to tell
(12:11):
us that quantifying small LDLparticles by advanced
lipoprotein testing is asuperior, dramatically superior
predictor of the futurecardiovascular events.
Likewise, carnal calcium scoresa superior predictor.
You can pretty much timesomebody's heart attack or need
for procedures or related eventsby knowing their carnal calcium
(12:33):
score and see whether it'sprogressive or not.
So another question comes up isthere a way to reduce that
score?
Slow down the 25% per year rateof increase, slow it down or
even decrease the score?
Well, the diet alone wasextremely powerful and
eradicating the expression ofsmall LDL particles.
But I went further and we addedback nutrients that are lacking
(12:55):
in modern life, lacking or atlow levels, such as vitamin D,
magnesium, omega-3 fatty acidsand iodine, and that also
amplified the benefits of thediet by reducing insulin
resistance and inflammation, thetwo driving factors that grows
coronary disease.
Then I took it even further byaddressing bowel flora, by
(13:19):
trying to restore lost microbessuch as lactobacillus rhodorii
and lactobacillus gastri, byusing prolonged fermentation to
make our yogurts.
They're not yogurt, of course,but something that looks and
smells like yogurt.
We also incorporate lots offermented foods and prebiotic
fibers.
Put this all together.
It became clear that when allthese strategies were put
(13:42):
together, people achievedextraordinary metabolic health.
It started all uncommon forpeople in my programs to have
HDL cholesterol of 70 milligramsor greater, triglyceride levels
of 40 to 50, even though yourneighbors have levels of 180,
300,.
We enjoy levels of 40 to 50milligrams.
(14:03):
Small LDL is typically zero,not just reduced, but zero.
Blood pressures are typicallyin the 110, over 80 or similar
range.
C-reactive protein and measureinflammation is near zero.
So not only do we achieveextraordinary metabolic health,
but we avoid the need forpharmaceutical medications to
(14:24):
try to correct these factors,and that we thereby save money.
We're not exposed to sideeffects, but we enjoy side
Benefits such as reduction ofabdominal visceral fat, improved
testosterone status, improvedcognition and other benefits.
But you all begin to recognizejust how unnecessary the
majority of pharmaceuticals are,though you'd never believe it
(14:46):
if you watch TV commercials.
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(15:09):
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(16:39):
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(17:21):
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One of the peculiar things thathappens when those of us who
(17:42):
enjoy perfect metabolic healthexperience is that when you go
to a healthcare clinic orhospital, they ask you what
medications, what prescriptionmedications, do you take, and
you say none.
They look at you confused.
Inevitably they are veryconfused.
The peculiar thing is that theydon't recognize perfect
metabolic health.
It's not uncommon for them toinsist that you begin several
(18:06):
drugs even though you enjoyperfect metabolic health.
They'll tell you that you needa statin drug, for instance, or
a baby asthma or some other drugto somehow improve your health,
which of course they do not.
Or they advocate conventionalideas such as follow dietary
guidelines or eat more healthywhole grains, or here's a
prescription for this or thathealth problem all the mantras
(18:27):
that cause unhealthy metabolichealth and many diseases.
One of the key concepts to getyour arms around in
understanding these ideas isthat we avoid the idea of
treating conditions.
In other words, if you have ahigh blood sugar, let's resist
the impulse to treat that highblood sugar and force it down.
If you have a high bloodpressure, let's avoid the idea
(18:50):
of treating that high bloodpressure with some drug to force
your blood pressure down.
Instead, we adopt strategiesthat correct these factors that
allow such conditions to emergein the first place.
So we're going to address themistakes we all made in diet.
We're going to address thefactors the nutritional factors
absent or lacking in modern lifethat affect insulin resistance
(19:14):
and inflammation.
We're going to address thisdisrupted microbiome and the
endotoxemia that accompanies adisrupted microbiome.
And, as I mentioned again in theintroductory comments.
We ideally begin thesestrategies before there's
irreversible damage done, suchas irreversible damage to the
brain and spinal cord in somewith multiple sclerosis, or
(19:35):
damage to the brain from astroke, or damage to the heart
muscle from a heart attack orthe implantation of prosthetic
hypra-knee.
These, of course, are things wecannot reverse.
So the key is to adopt theseprograms, adopt these strategies
before these sorts ofirreversible changes occur.
And are most of theseconditions avoidable?
Absolutely.
Now we can't protect you fromaccidents, from injury, from
(20:00):
most infections or infestations.
You know indigenoushunter-gatherer populations,
such as people who live in thejungles of South America or New
Guinea or the east coast ofsouthern Africa or the savannas
of Tanzania.
These are people who, unexposedto antibiotics, don't eat
modern diets but just liveoutdoors and hunt and gather
(20:22):
their food.
They have no type 2 diabetes,no coronary disease, no
autoimmune diseases, noconstipation, no ulcerative
colitis, no Crohn's disease, nocolon cancer, on and on and on.
These people are spared all thediseases of civilization that
we have Now.
They have other problems, ofcourse, right, they have
infections, infestations andinjuries, but they do not have
(20:45):
most of the common chronicdisease that plague modern
people.
I think there's an importantlesson in that and they also, of
course, enjoy normal bloodpressures, normal blood sugars,
no small LDL particles and otheraspects of health, without
relying on prescriptionmedications to do so.
So is it possible to enjoyperfect metabolic health without
(21:06):
statin drugs, without bloodpressure medications, without
all the other things thatconventional healthcare tries to
load on you?
It absolutely is, and in fact,most of us enjoy biomarkers of
health superior to the peoplewho rely on pharmaceuticals to
correct or treat various aspectsof health.
Now, if you learned somethingfrom this episode of Defiant
(21:27):
Health Podcast, I invite you tosubscribe to your favorite
podcast directory.
Post a review.
Post a comment.
Help us build this movement ofself empowerment in health.
Thanks for listening.
Personally, I take no prescription medications.
I don't take statin drug toreduce cholesterol, nor baby
aspirin.
I take nothing for high bloodpressure, acid reflux or
irritable bowel syndrome.
I take nothing for headaches,pain or sleep Not a single
prescription medication.
Yet my blood pressure istypically around 108 over 72.
(00:27):
My triglycerides are 40 mg perdeciliter, hdl cholesterol is 94
mg per deciliter and I havezero small LDL particles.
My fasting glucose is in the80s.
My last hemoglobin A1c was 4.8%.
My liver markers are all at thelow normal range, with no fatty
(00:48):
liver suggested.
In other words, I have perfectmetabolic health without
reliance on any medication.
The majority of the followers ofmy programs likewise enjoy
perfect metabolic health withoutreliance on any prescription
medications.
Of course, there are people whoadopt the strategies of my
program after incurring someform of irreversible damage,
(01:11):
such as permanent loss ofpancreatic beta cells that
results in type 1 diabetes,hashimoto's thyroiditis that
results in impaired ability toproduce thyroid hormones, or
loss of stomach parietal cellsthat results in the absence of
stomach acid, or hypocluridriaor achlorhydria.
So key is to adopt thesestrategies before such permanent
(01:34):
damage is done.
People who have incurred suchdamage will therefore need to
take insulin, thyroid hormonesor engage in efforts to acidify
the stomach, but, barring thedevelopment of such irreversible
changes, the majority of us onmy programs have no need for
pharmaceutical medications.
So in this episode of DefiantHealth, let's discuss how and
(01:54):
why, by adopting just a handfulof health strategies, you can
enjoy perfect metabolic healthwithout reliance on prescription
medications.
Choosing high quality productsto support your health journey
is also important.
This is why Paleo Valley is asupporter of my Defiant Health
podcast.
Their grass-fed, pasture-raisedbeef sticks, for instance, are
(02:17):
fermented, unlike nearly allother beef sticks.
If you haven't tried theirpasture-raised pork sticks,
you're in for a real treat, asthey are irresistibly delicious.
I'll also tell you aboutBiodquest, providers of unique
probiotic products that, in myexperience and the experience of
the followers of my program,are unlike all other probiotics
as they are crafted using thescientific insights of academic
(02:41):
microbiologist Dr Raul Cano, aninnovator in the concept of
collaborative effects amongmicrobes.
As I mentioned in theintroductory comments, I have
perfect metabolic health and Irely on no pharmaceutical
medications to maintain that.
Now, it wasn't always this way.
(03:02):
In fact, many years ago this isover 30 years ago I was a
metabolic disaster.
It all started because I hearda lecture by a colleague who
reported that when he took hispatients onto a program that
involved an extreme reduction indietary fat, saturated fat,
essentially avoiding all animalproducts, so a vegetarian diet
(03:24):
very low in fat, he reportedthat all sorts of positive
effects developed.
So I decided to give this a trymyself and many of my patients.
It was an absolute disaster.
I gained a lot of weight aroundmy waist.
My HDL good cholesterol droppedto a dangerous 27 mg per
deciliter.
My triglycerides increased to avery high 390 mg per deciliter.
(03:50):
I developed an abundance ofsmall LDL particles the real
cause of heart disease, not LDLcholesterol and my small LDL
particles numbered 1800 Nmol perliter, that's a particle count
per volume, which is very high.
I became a type 2 diabetic,with fasting glucose values in
160 mg per deciliter range.
(04:10):
I developed hypertension and itfelt awful.
Now this all happened on thatvegetarian, low fat diet,
despite the fact that I wasjogging 3 to 5 miles several
times per week, riding my bike,playing tennis.
In other words, I was veryactive.
Yet I became an absolutemetabolic disaster, a type 2
diabetic with all sorts of otherdistortions, and thereby on my
(04:34):
way to a future of heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and
other problems from thismetabolic disaster.
So I stopped following thatprogram and all those measures
improved over time.
I became a non-diabetic, mytriglycerides and all those
other measures improveddramatically.
But there was another series oflessons I learned after my mom,
(04:54):
after my mother died of suddencardiac death after her
successful two-vessel carnerangioplasm.
This is many years ago, and soI recognized that what I did in
a cath lab, that is, as aninterventional cardiologist
putting in stents and dilatingof ballooning arteries and all
those sorts of procedures toabort heart attacks and open
arteries that this was a veryunsatisfactory way to deal with
(05:16):
a dangerous disease, becausemany people died on route to the
hospital or died at home.
And so I asked is there a wayto identify risks, like my mom
had Months or even years aheadof time?
Well, people use cholesterolvalues, but those are useless.
If I told you your totalcholesterol is 240 mg per
deciliter, will you have a heartattack next week, next month,
(05:39):
in three years?
You can tell.
Cholesterol values are anextremely poor predictor of
future cardiovascular events.
So I was not happy with thatanswer.
Well, at the time.
This is now over 30 years ago,but it remains true even today.
The best predictor, by a longstretch is a coronary calcium
score obtained through a CTheart scan.
(06:01):
All that means is we scan theheart using devices that are
very rapid, because the heart isin motion, it has multiple
phases of motion.
There's breathing motion fromthe lungs, there's human motion,
just because people are fidgetybut a very rapid acquisition of
images so that we can quantifysub-millimeter quantities of
calcium.
(06:21):
And that's helpful because myfriend Dr John Rumberger, while
he was at Mayo Clinic,demonstrated that of
atherosclerotic plaque that'sthe material that accumulates in
your arteries, in your coronaryartery, your heart's arteries,
that leads to heart attacks andsimilar episodes that of that
plaque, 20% of the volume isoccupied by calcium.
(06:42):
So if we had two cubicmillimeters of calcium, we have
10 cubic millimeters ofatherosclerotic plaque and that
is a very powerful predictor offuture cardiovascular events.
A normal coronary calcium scoreis zero and any value above zero
signifies increasing risk.
(07:03):
So that people who have a scoreof 1,000 or greater have
approximately a 12% to 15%chance of dying or having a
heart attack or developingsymptoms that require some sort
of action like implanting stentsor bypass surgery every year.
So 12% to 15% per year risk ofthose events at a score as high
(07:23):
as 1,000 or more.
It also became clear and wehelped publish these evidence
that if you do nothing a scorewill increase approximately 25%
per year.
So a score, say, of 400, 500 ayear later, 625 another year
later and as with each leap inscoring you're closer and closer
(07:43):
to heart attack, death andother sudden and dangerous
cardiovascular events.
So what can we do to stop it?
So if it goes up 25% per year,what if we put you on a
high-dose statin cholesteroldrug like Lipitor, 40 milligrams
a baby aspirin, a low-fat dietand an exercise program, how
(08:04):
much will that slow theprogression increase in growth
of carnetary atheroscleroticplaque?
It has no effect whatsoever onthat measure.
So 400 will become 500 and soon.
And so that date that has beencorroborated numerous times.
That's what my colleaguescontinue to call, even to this
day, optimal medical therapy,even though it is an outright
(08:28):
failure.
So I set out to find out betterways to control this rise, this
otherwise relentless rise ingrowth of carnetary
atherosclerotic plaque.
By the way, the so-calledexperts were asked what should
we do?
If we can't put a stop to thegrowth of atherosclerotic plaque
by tracking carnet calciummeasures, what should we do?
And they actually said this.
(08:48):
Don't repeat the scan foranother score.
Just let people have theirheart attack or develop an angin
and manage it.
Then, as you know, this isridiculous.
It means that people are beingresigned to dying at home, dying
on route in the ambulance orother bad outcomes.
So I was unsatisfied with thatawful, awful answer.
(09:09):
So I set about trying to findways that really did put a stop
to the rise in carnetary calciumscores and the progression of
carnet atherosclerotic plaque,and it led to a number of unique
observations.
One of the lessons you learn isthat if you reject cholesterol
testing, this crude, outdatedthing we should have rejected 40
or 50 years ago and instead dida more thorough, more precise
(09:32):
method called lipoproteinanalysis, and the method I use
most of the law was nuclearmagnetic resonance, nmr.
So an NMR lipoprotein analysis.
These are easily available.
Every major lab does it.
It's covered by health insurersand Medicare, even though many
of my colleagues will claim thatit's not.
That's what they're reallysaying is I can't be bothered
(09:53):
understand this more advancedform of testing and so I'm going
to tell you it's unavailable,it's non scientific, there's no
evidence that it works or thatinsurance doesn't cover it.
None of that is true.
So when we took people's bloodand subjected to NMR lipoprotein
analysis became clear that it'snot LDL cholesterol that drives
growth of plaque, it's anabundance of small LDL particles
(10:18):
.
There's a number of reasons forthat.
Small LDL particles are smaller, they're better able to
penetrate into the arterial wallto create atherosclerotic
plaque.
Small LDL is much more prone tooxidation and glycation, that
is, glucose modification of theproteins in that particle.
And when they are glycated andoxidized or glycoxidized, that
(10:42):
particle, that small LDLparticle, is much more dangerous
, much more likely to gain entryinto the arterial wall and
incite an inflammatory response.
Small LDL particles are alsounusually persistent in the
bloodstream.
That's because when theparticle is small, when the LDL
particle is small, therecognition protein on its
surface, called apoprotein B,its configuration is changed and
(11:06):
it's partially concealed.
So the liver has a hard timerecognizing that small LDL
particle and the concealedapoprotein B.
As a result, while large LDLparticles that the liver does
recognize are cleared promptlywithin 24 hours of their
creation, small LDL particlesrequire five to seven days to be
(11:27):
cleared by the liver.
That means once you form smallLDL particles they're persistent
for about a week, going roundand around your circulation and
giving plenty of opportunity tocause or grow carnal
atherosclerotic plaque.
So the question I asked is whatfoods in the diet cause the
(11:47):
formation of small LDL particles?
Simple Wheat, grains and sugar?
There is more than ampleevidence to tell us that's the
amylopectin A of wheat andgrains and sugars such as
sucrose and fructose thattrigger the formation of small
LDL particles by the liver.
And, by the way, there are now55 human clinical trials to tell
(12:11):
us that quantifying small LDLparticles by advanced
lipoprotein testing is asuperior, dramatically superior
predictor of the futurecardiovascular events.
Likewise, carnal calcium scoresa superior predictor.
You can pretty much timesomebody's heart attack or need
for procedures or related eventsby knowing their carnal calcium
(12:33):
score and see whether it'sprogressive or not.
So another question comes up isthere a way to reduce that
score?
Slow down the 25% per year rateof increase, slow it down or
even decrease the score?
Well, the diet alone wasextremely powerful and
eradicating the expression ofsmall LDL particles.
But I went further and we addedback nutrients that are lacking
(12:55):
in modern life, lacking or atlow levels, such as vitamin D,
magnesium, omega-3 fatty acidsand iodine, and that also
amplified the benefits of thediet by reducing insulin
resistance and inflammation, thetwo driving factors that grows
coronary disease.
Then I took it even further byaddressing bowel flora, by
(13:19):
trying to restore lost microbessuch as lactobacillus rhodorii
and lactobacillus gastri, byusing prolonged fermentation to
make our yogurts.
They're not yogurt, of course,but something that looks and
smells like yogurt.
We also incorporate lots offermented foods and prebiotic
fibers.
Put this all together.
It became clear that when allthese strategies were put
(13:42):
together, people achievedextraordinary metabolic health.
It started all uncommon forpeople in my programs to have
HDL cholesterol of 70 milligramsor greater, triglyceride levels
of 40 to 50, even though yourneighbors have levels of 180,
300,.
We enjoy levels of 40 to 50milligrams.
(14:03):
Small LDL is typically zero,not just reduced, but zero.
Blood pressures are typicallyin the 110, over 80 or similar
range.
C-reactive protein and measureinflammation is near zero.
So not only do we achieveextraordinary metabolic health,
but we avoid the need forpharmaceutical medications to
(14:24):
try to correct these factors,and that we thereby save money.
We're not exposed to sideeffects, but we enjoy side
Benefits such as reduction ofabdominal visceral fat, improved
testosterone status, improvedcognition and other benefits.
But you all begin to recognizejust how unnecessary the
majority of pharmaceuticals are,though you'd never believe it
(14:46):
if you watch TV commercials.
The Divinate Health podcast issponsored by Paleo Valley makers
of delicious grass-fed beefsticks, healthy snack bars and
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We're very picky around hereand insist that any product we
consider has no junk ingredientslike carrageenan,
carboxymethylcellulose,sucralose and, of course, no
(15:09):
added sugars.
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In fact, I find Paleo Valleyproducts among the cleanest in
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(17:21):
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Health listeners.
One of the peculiar things thathappens when those of us who
(17:42):
enjoy perfect metabolic healthexperience is that when you go
to a healthcare clinic orhospital, they ask you what
medications, what prescriptionmedications, do you take, and
you say none.
They look at you confused.
Inevitably they are veryconfused.
The peculiar thing is that theydon't recognize perfect
metabolic health.
It's not uncommon for them toinsist that you begin several
(18:06):
drugs even though you enjoyperfect metabolic health.
They'll tell you that you needa statin drug, for instance, or
a baby asthma or some other drugto somehow improve your health,
which of course they do not.
Or they advocate conventionalideas such as follow dietary
guidelines or eat more healthywhole grains, or here's a
prescription for this or thathealth problem all the mantras
(18:27):
that cause unhealthy metabolichealth and many diseases.
One of the key concepts to getyour arms around in
understanding these ideas isthat we avoid the idea of
treating conditions.
In other words, if you have ahigh blood sugar, let's resist
the impulse to treat that highblood sugar and force it down.
If you have a high bloodpressure, let's avoid the idea
(18:50):
of treating that high bloodpressure with some drug to force
your blood pressure down.
Instead, we adopt strategiesthat correct these factors that
allow such conditions to emergein the first place.
So we're going to address themistakes we all made in diet.
We're going to address thefactors the nutritional factors
absent or lacking in modern lifethat affect insulin resistance
(19:14):
and inflammation.
We're going to address thisdisrupted microbiome and the
endotoxemia that accompanies adisrupted microbiome.
And, as I mentioned again in theintroductory comments.
We ideally begin thesestrategies before there's
irreversible damage done, suchas irreversible damage to the
brain and spinal cord in somewith multiple sclerosis, or
(19:35):
damage to the brain from astroke, or damage to the heart
muscle from a heart attack orthe implantation of prosthetic
hypra-knee.
These, of course, are things wecannot reverse.
So the key is to adopt theseprograms, adopt these strategies
before these sorts ofirreversible changes occur.
And are most of theseconditions avoidable?
Absolutely.
Now we can't protect you fromaccidents, from injury, from
(20:00):
most infections or infestations.
You know indigenoushunter-gatherer populations,
such as people who live in thejungles of South America or New
Guinea or the east coast ofsouthern Africa or the savannas
of Tanzania.
These are people who, unexposedto antibiotics, don't eat
modern diets but just liveoutdoors and hunt and gather
(20:22):
their food.
They have no type 2 diabetes,no coronary disease, no
autoimmune diseases, noconstipation, no ulcerative
colitis, no Crohn's disease, nocolon cancer, on and on and on.
These people are spared all thediseases of civilization that
we have Now.
They have other problems, ofcourse, right, they have
infections, infestations andinjuries, but they do not have
(20:45):
most of the common chronicdisease that plague modern
people.
I think there's an importantlesson in that and they also, of
course, enjoy normal bloodpressures, normal blood sugars,
no small LDL particles and otheraspects of health, without
relying on prescriptionmedications to do so.
So is it possible to enjoyperfect metabolic health without
(21:06):
statin drugs, without bloodpressure medications, without
all the other things thatconventional healthcare tries to
load on you?
It absolutely is, and in fact,most of us enjoy biomarkers of
health superior to the peoplewho rely on pharmaceuticals to
correct or treat various aspectsof health.
Now, if you learned somethingfrom this episode of Defiant
(21:27):
Health Podcast, I invite you tosubscribe to your favorite
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