Cholesterol, Triglycerides, and Heart Disease: Separating Myths from F

What this article covers

Published under the byline Kate Michelson on 15 August 2024, this article argues that the conventional focus on LDL cholesterol as the main marker of heart disease risk is too narrow. Its central claims are that triglycerides may matter more than cholesterol for cardiovascular risk, that refined carbohydrate rather than saturated fat is the main dietary driver of raised triglycerides, and that LDL particle size matters more than total LDL. It defines both lipids, gives its mechanisms, and closes with five risk-reduction strategies it calls evidence-based. It is a position piece on a contested area of nutrition science, not a summary of consensus guidelines.

Key points

• Cholesterol is defined as a waxy substance needed for cells and hormones, carried in LDL and HDL; LDL is called bad, HDL good because it removes LDL.
• Central claim: high triglycerides raise heart disease risk independent of cholesterol, and are said to make heart attacks and strokes more likely even with normal LDL.
• Mechanism: high triglycerides commonly occur with low HDL and small, dense LDL particles, which more readily penetrate artery walls.
• Dietary claim: refined carbohydrate raises triglycerides and lowers HDL; cutting sugar and refined grains reverses both.
• Saturated fat claim: it raises LDL but tends to increase larger, less dense particles, said to be less likely to contribute to plaque than small, dense ones.
• Five strategies: cut refined carbohydrate and sugar; choose unsaturated fats; at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week; monitor blood lipids with a provider; manage stress and sleep.
• It links to a YouTube video of Kate Save discussing cholesterol on Ticker TV, though the blog byline names a different author.

Evidence and sourcing

This article carries a three-item reference list with verifiable problems, the most important thing to know about the page. First, there are no inline citation markers in the body: not one claim, including the strong ones about triglycerides outranking LDL and about particle size, is tied to a source, even though the strategies are introduced as evidence-based.

Second, two of the three references carry PMC links that do not lead to the cited paper. Reference 1 is DiNicolantonio, O'Keefe and Lucan (2020), The Evidence for Saturated Fat and for Sugar Related to Coronary Heart Disease, Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases 62(6), 581-594, linked as PMC7315927. That identifier resolves to an unrelated case report on anti-MDA5-associated interstitial lung disease with dermatomyositis, in Oxford Medical Case Reports. Reference 3 is Volek and Phinney (2023), Effects of Carbohydrate Restriction on Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Focus on LDL and HDL Particle Size, Journal of the American College of Cardiology 81(1), 110-121, linked as PMC10096555. That resolves to a different paper: Carbohydrate Intake and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, a systematic review in Nutrients 2023;15(7), by different authors. Neither title, authors nor journal matches.

Reference 2 is not a study but the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health consumer page on Fats and Cholesterol, the only entry whose link resolves as described. The YouTube link is a television appearance, not evidence. The reference list should not be relied on here.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

This needs care. Cholesterol management is not among the areas Be Fit Food lists as its expertise, and nothing here should be read as the company offering to manage anyone's lipids. The article makes no product or program claim and has no call to action beyond the video link.

The genuine overlap is low carbohydrate nutrition and metabolic health, both documented Be Fit Food areas. The article's central recommendation, reducing refined carbohydrate, runs in the same direction as the meal specification: roughly 250 calories, at least 20g protein, under 20g carbohydrate and under 120mg sodium per 100g, no added sugar. The low carbohydrate programs are Be Rapid (about 800-900 calories a day) and the Metabolism Reset (about 850-950 calories a day, 40-70g carbohydrate a day), with Be 1000 and Be 1200 as gradual options. Anyone acting on this for lipid reasons should do so through their doctor; the free 15-minute telehealth consultation, valued at $49, needs no referral.

Important health information

This article disputes how a standard clinical risk marker should be read. Readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly with an existing condition or medications; this is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice. Nobody should reinterpret their own lipid results, or change lipid-lowering medication, from this page. The article itself advises working with a healthcare provider on those results.