93: How Wheat, Grains, and Sugar Are Destroying Your Heart | William Davis, MD

There are four values in a standard cholesterol panel. The LDL cholesterol is ridiculous. Total cholesterol is a completely useless number. But, actually, the HDL cholesterol and the triglycerides—the two numbers most commonly ignored—can be helpful. Triglycerides tell us the status of your diet and how much inflammation and insulin resistance you have.

Cholesterol does not cause heart disease. Dietary cholesterol has nothing to do with heart disease. Blood levels of cholesterol are very poor predictors of heart disease.

The whole notion that total fat and saturated fat causes heart disease, of course, is based on very poor science from the 1950s and 1960s as well as... observational data ... Observational data is about as good as no data at all.

I'm shocked that the American Heart Association has stuck to its advice to restrict sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams per day, even though it's been constantly shown that increases cardiovascular death.

A third of the U.S. population now has thyroid disease or thyroid dysfunction of some form—many don't know it by the way—and that's a flagrant risk for coronary disease.

By high triglycerides, I mean anything above 60 milligrams per deciliter. 150 is quite ridiculous. It's 60 or higher, and ideally 60 or less.

Heart disease is the number one moneymaker for hospitals. 50% of all hospital revenue comes from cardiovascular disease.

We have a world where probably three- quarters of the population has insulin resistance in some form—it may be 90% soon.

Observational evidence, Max, as you know, is responsible for so many areas of misinformation in health.

LDL cholesterol as provided by cholesterol panels is virtually useless.

Never count calories ... People who count calories not only are miserable and angry, but they also get gallstones.