If you’re among the nearly half of Americans on the high cholesterol list or if you never want to end up on that list, today's episode is for you.

When firefighter James Rae discovered his cholesterol was more than 300, his fellow firefighters hatched a plan to literally save his life. The firefighters at Engine #2 in Austin Texas adopted a dietary strategy that in less than a month helped James cut his cholesterol in half.

The cholesterol-lowering diet the firefighters employed is an evidence-based strategy backed by research from the American Heart Association and today I get to share it with you.

In today's podcast, we explore what cholesterol is, why our bodies need it, and what happens when our levels get too high. We’ll cover why the dogma of good and bad cholesterol is flawed and discuss ApoB and LP(a), two essential cholesterol labs that are a better predictor of your heart health. We then dive deep into the science-backed approach the firefighters at Engine #2 used to lower their cholesterol, lose weight, and improve their overall health.

When it comes to your health and wellbeing, you have great agency and control. And when you combine that agency with evidence, you can do great things.

author: David Zodda, MD board-certified physician fellowship trained in knowledge translation and evidence-based medicine

BetterMedicine.com