From my bookshelf: The Great Cholesterol Myth, Revised and Expanded

Rethinking statins and the root cause conversation missing from most care: inflammation and insulin resistance

I read The Great Cholesterol Myth (Revised & Expanded) in April 2024, about a year into my health and wellness expedition.

Like many people, I’d spent years absorbing the message that dietary fat was bad, cholesterol was dangerous, and statins were the automatic answer if your LDL was too high. End of story. But this book disrupted that narrative. It challenged the idea that total cholesterol, or even LDL cholesterol in isolation, is a reliable predictor of heart disease. Instead, it made the case that inflammation, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction are the real drivers of cardiovascular risk.

When I read The Great Cholesterol Myth, I was still on a statin and trying to make sense of what came next. The book didn’t make my decision for me, but it gave me the context and confidence to think more critically about my care. A few months later, I stopped the statin. Around the same time, my Calcium CT score came back at a high 469, and I was labeled “non-compliant” for not agreeing to a high-intensity statin and daily baby aspirin. But no one wanted to talk about root cause. There was no discussion of inflammation, insulin resistance, or lifestyle factors. When I asked about repeating the Calcium CT test in the future, the cardiologist told me it wasn’t necessary and pointed out that it would be an out-of-pocket expense anyway. It felt like the assumption was: too late, so here’s your medication. Reading this book helped me question that script and trust that a different approach might still be possible.

Reading it didn’t give me all the answers. But it gave me better questions and it reminded me that there’s nothing radical about wanting to understand your own body.

A coach at The Fasting Method mentioned this book during one of our community meetings. I’m so glad she did.

From my bookshelf

Part of an ongoing series reflecting on the books that helped shape my health and wellness expedition.

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