“Normal” cholesterol redefined.
New Target Cholesterol
Doctor's Note
Check out these more recent videos on cholesterol:
Optimal Cholesterol Level
Switching from Beef to Chicken & Fish May Not Lower Cholesterol
The Problem with the Paleo Diet Argument
And check out my other videos on cholesterol.
For more context, see my associated blog post: Stool Size & Breast Cancer Risk.
If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.
Previous Video
Next Video16 responses to “New Target Cholesterol”
Comment Etiquette
On NutritionFacts.org, you'll find a vibrant community of nutrition enthusiasts, health professionals, and many knowledgeable users seeking to discover the healthiest diet to eat for themselves and their families. As always, our goal is to foster conversations that are insightful, engaging, and most of all, helpful – from the nutrition beginners to the experts in our community.
To do this we need your help, so here are some basic guidelines to get you started.
The Short List
To help maintain and foster a welcoming atmosphere in our comments, please refrain from rude comments, name-calling, and responding to posts that break the rules (see our full Community Guidelines for more details). We will remove any posts in violation of our rules when we see it, which will, unfortunately, include any nicer comments that may have been made in response.
Be respectful and help out our staff and volunteer health supporters by actively not replying to comments that are breaking the rules. Instead, please flag or report them by submitting a ticket to our help desk. NutritionFacts.org is made up of an incredible staff and many dedicated volunteers that work hard to ensure that the comments section runs smoothly and we spend a great deal of time reading comments from our community members.
Have a correction or suggestion for video or blog? Please contact us to let us know. Submitting a correction this way will result in a quicker fix than commenting on a thread with a suggestion or correction.
Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cholesterol. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!
It’s funny how the cited source gave a powerful quantitative argument for becoming vegetarian, but then goes on to conclude that:
“A vegetarian or low-fat diet and exercise,possibly helped along with fish oil or niacin, can help a highly motivated individual achieve an LDL under 70.”
Do you agree that the above statement gives the impression that all folks really have to do to be healthy and heart attack proof is to get off the couch and switch from fatty to leaner meats?
I wonder if others agree with me that that statement is highly misleading.
Dr. Greger, I would appreciate your insight into my situation. I have been following a strict whole food plant-based diet since attending the NAVS summerfest – no sugars, animal products of any type, refined flour, processed foods, added oils, etc. – and I’ve been doing an hour of cardio exercise 3 times a week. My doctor was thrilled with my initiative, and took me off Zocor to see what my new baseline cholesterol levels would be. After 2 months on this diet and no meds, my total cholesterol is 246 (was 135 with meds), LDL went from 52 to 148, and triglycerides went from 131 to 239. I have oatmeal with ground flax seed each morning. What is going on? I’m very disappointed.
Hi Maria, have you seen these other nutrition facts videos?
This one suggests some foods that can help lower cholesterol: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/new-cholesterol-fighters/
This one suggests that a whole foods vegan diet is better than a low fat vegan diet for reducing cholesterol: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/low-fat-or-whole-food/
Here Dr. Greger notes the cholesterol lowering power of avocados: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/are-avocadoes-good-for-you/
Here he suggests cocoa powder (I add it to smoothies): http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/cocoa-good-chocolate-bad/
My take on all this: make sure you’re getting plenty of good fats from whole plant foods, particularly nuts and avocados.
Also, consider adding some resistance training to your workout routine, as it is better than cardio for reducing body fat, which will have a favorable effect on your cholesterol. Note I’m not saying do resistance instead of cardio, but rather in addition.
Good luck!
“Good fats” is a misnomer. There are only 2 essential fatty acids – Omega 6 and 3, and the ratio should be under 3:1. The body can manufacture ALL the other fatty acids as needed. Avocados are 75% fat with an Omega 6:3 ratio of 15:1. Nuts too are very high fat and handfuls are harmful if you have a cholesterol problem. The only 2 studies showing actual reversal of heart disease was a very low fat diet – less than 10% fat (Ornish and Esselstyn). Dr. Esselstyn allows no nuts or avocados for is heart patients.
Thanks for your input, Amber. I have watched the other videos. My diet has been strictly plant based – mostly raw and including nuts. In addition to the cardio, I do 30-45 minutes of weight bearing exercise 3 times a week. I may just be one of those people who overproduces cholesterol. But I’m still sticking with it.
Two and a half years of being vegan, just had my cholesterol checked for the first time: total of 102 with an LDL of 31!
congrats! After my 4 months low meat diet and exercise my cholesterol went down to 135 whit LDL 70. Now I’m about to go full vegan.
Is it possible to have 0 LDL and is that dangerous?
LDL is still necessary as cholesterol is used for hormones. The goal is to have an LDL below 70.
I’m a bit confused with the units used. Here in Canada we use mmol/l. My LDL is 2.22 mmol/l. I used a conversion program and that gives 85 mg/dl. My total serum cholesterol is 3.52 mmol/l or – still with the conversion program – 136.
I wonder what the situation is insofar as ‘ghee’ (as prepared in Indian homes from cow’s milk) is concerned. Is it saturated, mono-unsaturated? good for arterial health or bad? there are ayurvedic physicians who swear by it and prescribe it for various disorders and i know of at least one Indian cardiologist who openly advocates its consumption by patients with CVD for its treatment and prevention. Dr Greger can you point me to some articles that can clarify this issue? Since i’ve not seen any videos from you about ghee, have you given it some thought?
I have been vegan for almost 2 years now and really mostly eat whole foods. I am not really into vegan meats or cheese. My total cholesterol is 146 mg/dl, whereas the LDL is 79. The HDL/LDL quote is 1.52. Do I need to be worried about my LDL? Thanks in advance.
i use bio identical hormone replacement, will that cause my cholesterol to be high, is it harmful?
Do liver and Gallbladder flushes actually work? I have gallstones and was recommended to do a flush including drinking apple juice for 6 days before consuming epsom salts, olive oil and grapefruit juice to flush out my gallstones. Help!!! Does this work???
I have been WFPB no SOS for 2 years. My cholesterol (195) HDL 35), triglycerides (152) and LDL (128) are within “normal ranges”. I just can’t seem to get my numbers any lower. I had my gallbladder removed about 6 years ago and I am wondering if not having a gallbladder can interfere with my lipid numbers.