Educational Materials

Metabolic health is a term you hear a lot these days — but oddly enough, there’s no universally agreed-upon definition for what perfect metabolic health looks like. In fact, it’s often easier to spot poor metabolic health than it is to clearly define what “optimal” metabolic health really is.   The Problem: We Often Set […]

What Are You Really Looking At On A Cholesterol Test? Before we hop into the numbers you see on a blood cholesterol test, it’s important to understand how cholesterol (and other fats) actually move around in your body. Cholesterol and fat are vital nutrients — your body uses them to build cells, make hormones, and store […]

  Is High LDL-C Dangerous? Unfortunately, there is no exact answer to this question because context is very important. . High LDL-C does associate with a higher incidence of heart attack and stroke in the general population— especially if it’s the result of a genetic condition like homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (hoFH), where the body’s LDL […]

Understanding the LMHR phenotype and Implications for Risk Stratification Identifying Patients Who May Not Fit Standard Profiles A growing subset of patients — often lean individuals adopting ketogenic or carbohydrate-restricted diets — present with markedly elevated LDL-C or ApoB yet maintain otherwise pristine metabolic health. Patients with: Triglycerides <70 mg/dL HDL-C >80 mg/dL LDL-C >200 […]

A ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, very low-carbohydrate eating pattern designed to shift the body’s metabolism away from glucose (sugar) and toward fat for fuel. As carbohydrate intake drops, the liver begins to produce ketones, a type of fuel derived from fat, that can be used by the brain and other organs. This induces […]

What is LMHR? The Lean Mass Hyper-Responder (LMHR) phenotype refers to a distinctive pattern of cholesterol and metabolic markers that can emerge in lean individuals following a low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet. These individuals often see a pronounced rise in LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), sometimes reaching levels typically seen in genetic conditions causing very high LDL-C called […]

Key Tests to Know Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Scan: A non-invasive CT scan that detects hardened plaque (calcified plaque) in the arteries of your heart. A CAC score of 0 generally means no visible calcified plaque and low short-term risk (~5-10 years) of a heart attack or stroke (with a few important exceptions).