Brian (1s):
Hello and welcome to the GETLEAN and Eat Clean podcast. My name is Brian Gryn. I'm a certified health coach, trainer and author,
Brian (8s):
And this
Brian (9s):
Podcast is for middle aged men and women looking to optimize their health and get their bodies back to what it once was 10 to 15 years ago. I will give you simple, actionable items to get long term sustainable results. Thanks for listening and enjoy the show.
Brian (25s):
All right, Welcome to the Get Lean Eat Clean podcast. My name is Brian Gryn. I hope you had a great weekend and hopefully you had a chance to listen to my interview with Dr. Tracy Gaffin. We touched all about the importance of testing, especially cortisol, ways to optimize sleep, environmental toxins that could be causing your testosterone to be tanked, how peptides can help you, and much, much more. So If you haven't already, definitely check out my interview with Dr. Tracy Gabit. Now on today's micro podcast, we are gonna dive in all things cholesterol, LDL, get into triglycerides. I'm also gonna cite a study that was published January, 2025 regarding LDL HDL and triglycerides.
Brian (1m 7s):
So this one's worth a listen. Enjoy the dreaded cholesterol. It's a word that sparks heated discussions at family dinners, made its way onto headlines and has been a essential concern during health checkups. The villain in the story, often LDL cholesterol, but is LDL the enemy? It's made out to be. Spoiler alert. It's more complicated than you think. Today we're gonna dive into the world of LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, separating fact from fiction and sharing actionable strategies to manage it effectively. By the end, you'll have a clear, concise science back understanding of what LDL cholesterol is, why it matters, And what you can do to promote better health for yourself.
Brian (1m 49s):
LDL stands for low density lipoprotein, one of the major cures of cholesterol in the blood, often labeled bad cholesterol. LDL plays a crucial role in transporting cholesterol to the cells where it's used to make membranes, hormones, and vitamin D. But here's the catch, LDL cholesterol is just one piece of the puzzle. Many factors influence heart health and focusing solely on LDL may oversimplify the complex story of cholesterol and its role in the body. Now, first I'm gonna debunk some of the common myths about LDL cholesterol. Number one, all LDL cholesterol is bad, and this is just not true. Studies have shown that the size and density of LDL particles may or more than just the total LDL count.
Brian (2m 30s):
You have small dense LDL particles which are more likely to infiltrate the arterial wall and oxidize causing inflammation and plaque buildup. You have the larger fluffy LDL particles on the other hand, and there are less likely to cause harm. Myth number two, lower LDL levels always equals lower risk. Focusing solely on lowering LDL levels can sometimes overlook other more significant markers of cardiovascular health, such as HDL, size and function, triglyceride levels and lifestyle factors like fitness and diet. These are often more predictive of overall cardiovascular health and metabolic health than LDL alone. Myth number three, that you can't control LDL cholesterol naturally.
Brian (3m 13s):
Well, medications like statins, a multi-billion dollar industry have become a common solution for high LDL cholesterol, but it's proven lifestyle changes can significantly improve LDL levels along with triglycerides and diet and exercise, along with stress management can be powerful impacts as well. With that being said, let's dive into some lifestyle habits that can positively affect your overall heart health. One, obviously, the foods that you eat, traditional dietary advice has long warned against saturated fats, but emerging research suggests that for many people, reducing highly processed and refined carbohydrates and packaged foods are more effective at improving heart health than just avoiding saturated fats altogether.
Brian (3m 54s):
Next, trans fats. These artificial fats are often found in fried foods. Fast foods raise LDL levels and triglycerides while lowering HDL levels, which is considered the good cholesterol, so removing trans fats should be a priority. Next, consuming foods that are high in soluble fiber such as vegetables, legumes, and fruits, can also help reduce absorption of cholesterol in the bloodstream. Next, making sure that you read labels trying to avoid seed oils as much as possible and products with trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils. Next, staying active physical activity doesn't just improve energy levels, but also has been shown to elevate HDL levels, which works fer away.
Brian (4m 35s):
Excess LDL cholesterol aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercises. Brief walking is great, especially after meals. This is what I do. Quit smoking, obviously, smoking damages, blood vessels, accelerates plaque buildup and lowers HDL cholesterol as well. Keeping stress in check. Chronic stress can disrupt healthy behaviors and potentially contribute to high cholesterol levels. Consider mindfulness, deep breathing or yoga to lower stress and support heart health. Lastly, all encompassing is maintaining a healthy weight and by by this I mean just putting in action these healthy habits that can keep your weight in check, making sure that we don't have a ton of visceral fat around the waist focusing on these dietary lifestyles that we're talking about today can help maintain a healthy weight.
Brian (5m 22s):
There's been some emerging research, which I'm gonna go through today. This is a study done recently titled Lipoproteins and Lipoprotein Lipid Composition are associated with staged of disc glycemia and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis. This study was just published in January of 2025 and investigates the relationship between lipid profiles and various health conditions such as coronary artery disease, diabetes, and overall metabolic health. Today we're gonna touch on just the key findings from this study. Number one, high triglycerides are strongly linked to coronary artery disease, plaque buildup, and diabetes. Elevated triglycerides double the risk of developing metabolic diseases and people with diabetes or pre-diabetes were shown to have lower LDL levels, which may indicate I metabolic imbalance.
Brian (6m 13s):
So focusing on lowering triglycerides as opposed to just lowering LDL was one of the findings of this study. Size and composition of HDL particles are critical. Larger HDL particles are more protective while smaller ones lose their effectiveness. Coronary artery calcium levels are strongly associated with HDL size and concentration, so high HDL combined with low triglycerides correlates with better metabolic and cardiovascular health. Lastly, it talked about lifestyle improvements, which we've touched on already, that HDL levels and particle size can be improved with lifestyle changes like regular exercise and healthy habits. As we've touched on exercise, not only boost HDL, but also increases the number of protective particles leading to better overall heart health.
Brian (6m 59s):
I wanted to bring up this study. I'll put a link in the show notes so you can take a look and read more into it. And so the bottom line is managing lipid profiles should be a part of a broader strategy that addresses overall health and lifestyle choices. Regular physical activity, a balanced diet, rich in whole foods and fiber, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding smoking are all foundational steps in promoting better heart health. Additionally, mental health should not be overlooked as stress and chronic anxiety can also lead to negative metabolic health and contribute to poor lipid regulation. By adopting a multifaceted approach, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease and enhance the quality of their life.
Brian (7m 42s):
I hope this was helpful. If you're looking for one-on-one guidance, feel free to click on the link below to schedule a free 15 minute discovery call with me. Look forward to talking with you. Have a great rest of the day, and thanks so much for listening.
Brian (7m 55s):
Thanks for listening to the GETLEAN E Clean podcast. I understand there are millions of other podcasts out there and you've chosen to listen to mine and I appreciate that. Check out the show notes at Brian Gryn dot com for everything that was mentioned in this episode. Feel free to subscribe to the podcast and share it with a friend or family member that's looking to get their body back to what it once was. Thanks again and have a great day.
