Showing results by narrator "Michael Greger MD" in All Categories

Higher intake of ultra-processed foods has been associated with a laundry list of ailments. It makes sense that greater consumption would be associated with more dental cavities, thanks to their sugar, obesity, thanks to their concentration of calories, and an increased risk of high blood pressure, thanks to their salt, which is linked to higher rates of cardiovascular events, like heart attacks and strokes. And, since cardiovascular diseases are our leading killers, it also makes sense that excess intake of ultra-processed foods could lead to increased overall mortality.

LDL cholesterol is the primary driver of our primary killer, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. When it comes to LDL, the lower, the better. No threshold appears to exist below which further LDL-lowering won't further reduce our risk of heart attacks, strokes, or sudden death. The reason more people aren't prescribed cholesterol-lowering statin drugs is there are associated drawbacks (such as increased diabetes risk), so the drugs are limited to those for whom the benefits outweigh the risks.