Latest news with #Norwitz
Jordan News
22-04-2025
- Health
- Jordan News
Is Cholesterol Really the Heart's Number One Enemy? - Jordan News
Is Cholesterol Really the Heart's Number One Enemy? For decades, doctors have warned against consuming cholesterol-rich foods like red meat and eggs, based on the belief that they raise levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), thereby increasing the risk of heart disease. اضافة اعلان Cholesterol is a waxy, naturally occurring substance essential for building cells and producing vital vitamins and hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. It comes in two main types: Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), known as bad cholesterol, which can build up in arteries and cause blockages; and High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol, which helps remove LDL by transporting it to the liver for processing. However, in recent years, experts have begun questioning the long-held belief that high LDL levels directly lead to heart disease. New research suggests that the issue may lie more in extremely low HDL levels than in elevated LDL. These doubts have been reinforced by specific cases—one of which was studied by Dr. Nick Norwitz, a researcher in metabolic disorders. Despite his patient recording very high LDL levels, she showed no signs of heart disease or arterial blockage and was otherwise in good health. This prompted Dr. Norwitz to participate in a study involving 100 individuals on a ketogenic diet—low in carbohydrates and high in fat, traditionally feared for raising cholesterol. Surprisingly, these participants showed excellent metabolic health, high HDL levels, low inflammation markers, and no signs of arterial plaque. The study revealed that their bodies were producing large, buoyant LDL particles that are less likely to stick to artery walls, thus weakening the link between high LDL and heart disease. Furthermore, they did not require statins—cholesterol-lowering medications taken by 1 in 6 Americans. The conclusion? LDL is not a one-size-fits-all indicator of heart disease risk. Factors such as genetics, high blood pressure, obesity, and lack of physical activity play a larger role in determining actual risk. As Dr. Norwitz puts it: 'The medical field has long focused on measurable numbers and marketable drugs, instead of broader metabolic health. But this study exposes a flaw in the conventional medical model.' (Source: Daily Mail)
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Low-carb keto diet may not raise heart disease risk, new study suggests
High cholesterol has long gotten a bad rap for causing poor heart health — but a new study suggests that the low-carb ketogenic diet may not be linked to cardiovascular disease. The study, led by The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in collaboration with researchers across multiple institutes, assessed 100 participants following a long-term keto diet who developed elevated levels of LDL cholesterol (known as the "bad" type). Other than the elevated cholesterol, all participants were "metabolically healthy" and had followed the key diet for an average of five years, according to an April 7 press release. Heart Disease Risk Higher For Women Who Have These Unhealthy Lifestyle Habits They all qualified as LMHR (lean mass hyper-responder), which indicates people who adopt a carbohydrate-restricted diet and experience a significant rise in cholesterol. Using advanced cardiac imaging, the researchers found that traditional cholesterol markers (ApoB and LDL-C) were not associated with changes in plaque levels in the heart's arteries or with baseline heart disease over a one-year period. Read On The Fox News App Instead, existing plaque levels seemed to be a better predictor of future plaque accumulation. "This population of people — metabolically healthy with elevated LDL due to being in ketosis — are not automatically at increased cardiac risk simply because their LDL is elevated," Bret Scher, MD, medical director of Baszucki Group, which provided funding for the study, told Fox News Digital. 'I'm A Heart Surgeon And This Is What I Cook For Dinner' "Therefore, we should likely shift away from LDL and ApoB and toward vascular imaging with CAC or CTA for better risk prediction and informing how or if to treat someone's cardiac risk factors," added the California-based doctor. The study findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Advances. Previous studies have also shown that people qualifying as LMHR have similar levels of coronary plaque to otherwise comparable groups that have normal LDL levels, "underscoring that ketogenic diet-induced LDL increases may not indicate a higher risk of coronary plaque," the researcher said. Dr. Nick Norwitz, a study leader and independent researcher at the University of Oxford, noted that this is the first study to isolate very high LDL and ApoB as risk factors for heart disease. "All other human studies have included populations with metabolic dysfunction or individuals with congenital genetic causes of high LDL," he told Fox News Digital. 8 Carnivore Diet Myths Debunked By Researcher The results seem to contradict what most clinicians would have predicted and what doctors are taught in medical training, according to Norwitz. "While these data do not prove the conventional understanding is 'wrong,' per se, they do suggest the conventional model has a large blind spot." According to Norwitz, cardiac imaging, including a CAC score, has "far more value" than cholesterol levels in predicting plaque progression. "Thus, CAC scores can be used to risk-stratify patients and help individualize care," he told Fox News Digital. Scher noted that "ketogenic therapy" can be effective in treating certain metabolic-related conditions, but some people are afraid of continuing a keto diet because of their cholesterol. "This study provides support that they do not necessarily need to stop the diet or treat their cholesterol — rather, they can work with their healthcare team for a more individualized and appropriate cardiac workup," he advised. Dr. Ken Berry, a family physician and diabetes specialist in Tennessee, was not involved in the research but shared his thoughts on what he described as a "groundbreaking" study. "The study found no association between LDL-C, ApoB and progression of coronary plaque over one year using high-resolution CT angiography," he said to Fox News Digital. "Instead, the strongest predictor of plaque progression was pre-existing plaque, not cholesterol levels — leading researchers to conclude that 'plaque begets plaque, ApoB does not.'" This is the first prospective trial of its kind in a unique population often labeled 'high-risk' by traditional guidelines, Berry said, raising important questions about how cardiovascular risk is assessed in the context of low-carb, high-fat diets. "The obvious implication is that if very high ApoB levels is not a good predictor of heart attack risk in this specific group of people, then is it a good predictor in any group of people?" he said. "Or is it, as I suspect, just the latest popular lab test being used to scare people away from eating a proper human diet rich in saturated fat?" Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, a Cincinnati-based company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide, reviewed the study and pointed out some potential limitations. "The study's limited scope, involving a low-risk population over a short duration, renders it challenging to generalize findings to a broader, more vulnerable population," Serwer told Fox News Digital. Harvard Medical Student Ate 720 Eggs In A Month, Then Shared The 'Fascinating' Results "While the study's objective was to propose a hypothesis regarding dietary cholesterol's role, it does not provide definitive evidence for or against its significance." The cardiologist does, however, agree with the authors' conclusions that "improved risk stratification tools" are essential for identifying individuals at higher risk of coronary artery disease. "As physicians, our primary responsibility lies in evaluating each patient on an individual basis and collaborating with them through shared decision-making to develop the most appropriate long-term care plan," he added. Michelle Routhenstein, a New York City registered dietitian who specializes in heart disease, noted that plaque formation is a multistep process that can take years to progress. "The environment of the artery needs to be conducive to plaque formation," Routhenstein, who was not part of the study, told Fox News Digital. "For example, individuals with high blood pressure, a subgroup that was excluded from the study, are more prone to endothelial damage that can cause apoB to deposit more readily in the artery wall." "If someone already has plaque in the arteries and sustains an elevated level of LDL and apoB, then it can develop into more plaque, as seen in this study." Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter "However, if someone is metabolically healthy, has no plaque at baseline, and has elevated apoB and LDL levels alone, then the environment may not necessarily cause plaque to form over a one-year period." Routhenstein pointed to prior research showing that high LDL and apoB over years of someone's life, typically coupled with inflammation, insulin resistance and/or oxidative stress, can increase the risk of plaque development. "It is important to note that many people who are implementing a ketogenic diet and are ignoring high LDL and apoB levels typically do not know they have soft plaque brewing," she added. "Therefore, advising them to ignore LDL and apoB levels can be harmful — especially in a world where heart disease is so prevalent and remains the leading cause of death globally." Scher said he hopes that more researchers will become inspired to further this study and apply it to different populations. "But for now, I hope doctors will embrace this research and treat this specific population of people differently from the rest of their patients, understanding the unique physiologic state of ketosis and the metabolic benefits it provides," he said. For more Health articles, visit In addition to more studies assessing risk in this population, Norwitz said the team hopes to further investigate the mechanisms of the lean mass hyper-responder (LMHR) phenotype. "This is a remarkable group of humans demonstrating remarkable physiology," he article source: Low-carb keto diet may not raise heart disease risk, new study suggests
Fox News
08-04-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Low-carb keto diet may not raise heart disease risk, new study suggests
High cholesterol has long gotten a bad rap for causing poor heart health — but a new study suggests that the low-carb ketogenic diet may not be linked to cardiovascular disease. The study, led by The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in collaboration with researchers across multiple institutes, assessed 100 participants following a long-term keto diet who developed elevated levels of LDL cholesterol (known as the "bad" type). Other than the elevated cholesterol, all participants were "metabolically healthy" and had followed the key diet for an average of five years, according to an April 7 press release. They all qualified as LMHR (lean mass hyper-responder), which indicates people who adopt a carbohydrate-restricted diet and experience a significant rise in cholesterol. Using advanced cardiac imaging, the researchers found that traditional cholesterol markers (ApoB and LDL-C) were not associated with changes in plaque levels in the heart's arteries or with baseline heart disease over a one-year period. Instead, existing plaque levels seemed to be a better predictor of future plaque accumulation. "This population of people — metabolically healthy with elevated LDL due to being in ketosis — are not automatically at increased cardiac risk simply because their LDL is elevated," Bret Scher, MD, medical director of Baszucki Group, which provided funding for the study, told Fox News Digital. "Therefore, we should likely shift away from LDL and ApoB and toward vascular imaging with CAC or CTA for better risk prediction and informing how or if to treat someone's cardiac risk factors," added the California-based doctor. The study findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Advances. Previous studies have also shown that people qualifying as LMHR have similar levels of coronary plaque to otherwise comparable groups that have normal LDL levels, "underscoring that ketogenic diet-induced LDL increases may not indicate a higher risk of coronary plaque," the researcher said. Dr. Nick Norwitz, a study leader and independent researcher at the University of Oxford, noted that this is the first study to isolate very high LDL and ApoB as risk factors for heart disease. "All other human studies have included populations with metabolic dysfunction or individuals with congenital genetic causes of high LDL," he told Fox News Digital. The results seem to contradict what most clinicians would have predicted and what doctors are taught in medical training, according to Norwitz. "While these data do not prove the conventional understanding is 'wrong,' per se, they do suggest the conventional model has a large blind spot." According to Norwitz, cardiac imaging, including a CAC score, has "far more value" than cholesterol levels in predicting plaque progression. "Thus, CAC scores can be used to risk-stratify patients and help individualize care," he told Fox News Digital. Scher noted that "ketogenic therapy" can be effective in treating certain metabolic-related conditions, but some people are afraid of continuing a keto diet because of their cholesterol. "This study provides support that they do not necessarily need to stop the diet or treat their cholesterol — rather, they can work with their healthcare team for a more individualized and appropriate cardiac workup," he advised. Dr. Ken Berry, a family physician and diabetes specialist in Tennessee, was not involved in the research but shared his thoughts on what he described as a "groundbreaking" study. "The study found no association between LDL-C, ApoB and progression of coronary plaque over one year using high-resolution CT angiography," he said to Fox News Digital. "Instead, the strongest predictor of plaque progression was pre-existing plaque, not cholesterol levels — leading researchers to conclude that 'plaque begets plaque, ApoB does not.'" This is the first prospective trial of its kind in a unique population often labeled 'high-risk' by traditional guidelines, Berry said, raising important questions about how cardiovascular risk is assessed in the context of low-carb, high-fat diets. "The obvious implication is that if very high ApoB levels is not a good predictor of heart attack risk in this specific group of people, then is it a good predictor in any group of people?" he said. "Or is it, as I suspect, just the latest popular lab test being used to scare people away from eating a proper human diet rich in saturated fat?" Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, a Cincinnati-based company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide, reviewed the study and pointed out some potential limitations. "The study's limited scope, involving a low-risk population over a short duration, renders it challenging to generalize findings to a broader, more vulnerable population," Serwer told Fox News Digital. "While the study's objective was to propose a hypothesis regarding dietary cholesterol's role, it does not provide definitive evidence for or against its significance." The cardiologist does, however, agree with the authors' conclusions that "improved risk stratification tools" are essential for identifying individuals at higher risk of coronary artery disease. "As physicians, our primary responsibility lies in evaluating each patient on an individual basis and collaborating with them through shared decision-making to develop the most appropriate long-term care plan," he added. Michelle Routhenstein, a New York City registered dietitian who specializes in heart disease, noted that plaque formation is a multistep process that can take years to progress. "The environment of the artery needs to be conducive to plaque formation," Routhenstein, who was not part of the study, told Fox News Digital. "This is a remarkable group of humans demonstrating remarkable physiology." "For example, individuals with high blood pressure, a subgroup that was excluded from the study, are more prone to endothelial damage that can cause apoB to deposit more readily in the artery wall." "If someone already has plaque in the arteries and sustains an elevated level of LDL and apoB, then it can develop into more plaque, as seen in this study." "However, if someone is metabolically healthy, has no plaque at baseline, and has elevated apoB and LDL levels alone, then the environment may not necessarily cause plaque to form over a one-year period." Routhenstein pointed to prior research showing that high LDL and apoB over years of someone's life, typically coupled with inflammation, insulin resistance and/or oxidative stress, can increase the risk of plaque development. "It is important to note that many people who are implementing a ketogenic diet and are ignoring high LDL and apoB levels typically do not know they have soft plaque brewing," she added. "Therefore, advising them to ignore LDL and apoB levels can be harmful — especially in a world where heart disease is so prevalent and remains the leading cause of death globally." Scher said he hopes that more researchers will become inspired to further this study and apply it to different populations. "But for now, I hope doctors will embrace this research and treat this specific population of people differently from the rest of their patients, understanding the unique physiologic state of ketosis and the metabolic benefits it provides," he said. For more Health articles, visit In addition to more studies assessing risk in this population, Norwitz said the team hopes to further investigate the mechanisms of the lean mass hyper-responder (LMHR) phenotype. "This is a remarkable group of humans demonstrating remarkable physiology," he added.
Fox News
10-03-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Fruit as a food choice comes with a caveat: How much is too much?
Fruit is widely regarded as a healthy food — but is there such a thing as too much? In a recent video, a Harvard researcher sets out to explore the nutritional nuances of this popular food group. Nick Norwitz — who has a PhD in metabolic health and is currently finishing his medical degree — weighs the benefits and risks of consuming large quantities of different types of fruit. (See the video at the top of this article.) "The blanket statements that fruit is 'natural and therefore healthy' and 'contains sugar and therefore unhealthy' are both harmful oversimplifications," he told Fox News Digital. "Different fruits have different properties that interact with unique features of individuals," he went on. "I made this video so people could make more informed choices about their fruit intake." In the video, Norwitz focuses on fruit's fructose content, noting that fructose can be "metabolically harmful" — but points out that its negative effects depend on how it's metabolized in the body. "All fruits, in moderation, can fit into a healthy diet." The highest-fructose fruit is mango, he noted, with a full mango having about 30 grams of fructose. "Other high-fructose fruits include jack fruit, grapes and watermelon," Norwitz noted. Some lower-fructose fruits include berries, kiwi, citrus fruits, and non-sweet, low-carb fruits like coconut, avocado and olives. Norwitz noted that it's "surprisingly difficult" to assess the impact of fruits on health. "This is largely due to the fact that in large-scale epidemiological studies, there is healthy user bias, where those who eat more fruit tend to live overall healthier lifestyles," he said in the video. Context also matters, he pointed out. "For example, an athlete or generally healthy person having a banana before a run or after a run is very different than a person with diabetes chopping a banana into their morning brown sugar oatmeal," he said. If fresh fruit replaces unhealthy foods like fruit juice, candy and donuts, people can expect to see a benefit, Norwitz noted — "but that doesn't mean fruit intake is metabolically optimal in all circumstances, nor does it mean that a bowl of fruit is a healthier breakfast than eggs and bacon, or a healthier dessert than cheese." Different fruits also have different vitamin and mineral profiles, the researcher pointed out. Theresa Gentile, a registered dietitian in New York and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, stated that overall, fruit is a healthy food. "All fruits, in moderation, can fit into a healthy diet," she told Fox News Digital. "In a diet that doesn't exceed your calories for the day, the natural fructose in fruit is a positive, healthy component." The USDA guideline for fruit consumption is about 2 cups per day. "Fruit has fiber, vitamins and minerals, which are often underconsumed in the American diet," Gentile added. The fructose in fruit is different from the fructose in many processed foods, according to the expert. "Natural fructose is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract by a different mechanism than that of glucose — it does not require insulin that is released from the pancreas for it to be absorbed," she said. "This means fructose doesn't immediately impact blood sugar levels the way glucose does." The dietitian noted, however, that consuming too much fructose may have other negative effects on metabolism. "Most of the fructose in the American diet doesn't come from fresh fruit, but from added sugars like high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar." "Fructose is highly reactive and can contribute to the formation of harmful compounds in the body, which may play a role in aging and certain diseases," she told Fox News Digital. "Most of the fructose in the American diet doesn't come from fresh fruit, but from added sugars like high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar, which are commonly found in soft drinks and sweets." Michelle Routhenstein, a New York City registered dietitian who specializes in heart disease, agreed that fruit is healthy. "It's packed with essential nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, fiber and antioxidants, which support immune function and heart health and reduce inflammation," she told Fox News Digital. "Fruit also contains unique polyphenols, which have protective benefits against chronic diseases like heart disease." Because fruit does contain natural sugars, Routhenstein said it's important to be mindful of portion sizes, recommending that people stick to 1.5 to 2 cups per day. New Jersey-based dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, author of "2-Day Diabetes Diet," echoed that fruit can provide numerous health benefits, with essential nutrients, fiber and antioxidants that may lower the risk of certain diseases. "However, any food, if consumed in very high levels, can lead to an imbalance in overall diet," she told Fox News Digital. "If you opt to consume only fruit at the expense of eating foods containing protein, good fats and other essential nutrients, this can lead to an unbalanced diet and potential nutrient deficiencies." While all fruits offer health benefits, some can offer higher levels of beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, according to Palinski-Wade. "For instance, berries contain a high level of antioxidants, with blueberries being linked with many cognitive health benefits," she told Fox News Digital. "Avocados are rich in good fats and have been linked with many benefits, including improved outcomes for those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes." Palinski-Wade also called out "miracle berries" as containing high levels of antioxidants as well as compounds that alter the taste of sour foods, which allows them to be preserved as sweet and makes it easier to reduce added sugar in the diet. "Any food, if consumed in very high levels, can lead to an imbalance in overall diet." "Kiwifruit and tart cherries have also been linked with improved sleep quality and quantity in those experiencing insomnia," she added. Routhenstein pointed out that some fruits may be more suitable for certain dietary needs. "Fruit choices should be based on personal preferences, lifestyle and health needs," she said. "The focus should be on variety, portion control and pairing fruits with other heart-healthy foods, rather than demonizing any specific fruit." See more of Nick Norwitz's food research videos here.
