How I Cleaned Out My Arteries In 1 Year

Summary

The speaker shares their personal journey of reversing arterial plaque through lifestyle changes, emphasizing the importance of diet, exercise, and supplements. Initially a proponent of a low-fat diet and avid runner, they discovered their own arterial plaque at 57. This revelation led to a shift to a low-carb diet, embracing ketosis, and incorporating supplements like vitamin D3 and K2. The video details their medical tests, including CIMT studies, and how these changes reduced their arterial age and stabilized plaque, ultimately decreasing their risk of heart disease.

Takeaways

• 🍽 The individual reversed 20 years of arterial plaque by changing their diet from low-fat to low-carb, emphasizing the importance of dietary changes in cardiovascular health.
• 🏃‍♂️ Despite a history of rigorous exercise and adherence to a low-fat diet, the person still developed cardiovascular plaque, highlighting that even 'healthy' habits may not prevent arterial issues.
• 📉 The discovery of pre-diabetes with blood sugar peaking over 160 mg/dL was a pivotal moment, indicating a direct link between blood sugar levels and arterial plaque.
• 🚫 A significant lifestyle change involved cutting out processed carbs and grain products, which are often high in sugar and can contribute to insulin resistance and plaque formation.
• 💊 The use of low-dose statins was adopted not to lower cholesterol levels but to reduce cardiovascular inflammation, showing an alternative perspective on the use of these medications.
• 🧬 The person's story emphasizes the role of genetics and metabolic health in plaque development, suggesting that even with a healthy lifestyle, genetic predispositions can still pose risks.
• 🧪 Regular CIMT (Carotid Intima-Media Thickness) tests were used to monitor the presence and reversal of arterial plaque, demonstrating the value of this non-invasive test in tracking cardiovascular health.
• 💉 The individual began taking supplements like vitamin D3, K2, and others to support metabolic health and plaque stabilization, indicating a holistic approach to health management.
• 🏞️ The person's journey from a prevention-focused mindset to one that includes medication and supplements reflects a broader understanding of managing cardiovascular health.
• 📈 The script discusses the limitations of traditional heart disease models that focus solely on LDL cholesterol, advocating for a more comprehensive view of metabolic health and its impact on heart disease.
• 🌱 The importance of maintaining a low body fat percentage and engaging in high-intensity interval training, especially for the legs, was underscored as a means to manage blood sugar and support overall health.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial reaction to discovering arterial plaque despite a seemingly healthy lifestyle?

The speaker felt emotionally devastated and thought all their efforts to stay healthy were wasted. They considered giving up on their healthy habits and adopting a more sedentary lifestyle.

What is the CIMT test and why is it significant for detecting arterial plaque?

The CIMT test, or Carotid Intima-Media Thickness test, is an ultrasound of the neck that uses special measurement technology to assess the thickness of the arterial walls. It's significant because it directly measures plaque rather than blood flow, which is a more reliable indicator of cardiovascular risk.

What dietary change did the speaker make after discovering their arterial plaque?

The speaker switched from a low-fat diet to a low-carb diet, which was a significant change in their lifestyle aimed at reducing the risk of further plaque development.

How did the speaker's perspective on supplements change after their health revelation?

Initially, the speaker was against supplements, considering them expensive urine. However, after discovering their arterial plaque, they started taking supplements like vitamin D3, K2, and others to support their health.

What is the difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous plaque, and why is it important?

Homogeneous plaque is soft and more dangerous as it can rupture and cause clots. Heterogeneous plaque is a mixture of soft and calcified plaque, which is more stable and less likely to cause a heart attack or stroke. The type of plaque is important because it indicates its potential to cause cardiovascular events.

How did the speaker's exercise routine change after learning about their arterial plaque?

The speaker transitioned from marathon-level distances to more high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and resistance training, especially focusing on leg muscles, which are crucial for managing blood sugar levels.

What role did the speaker believe stress tests played in predicting heart attacks, and why did they choose CIMT over other tests?

The speaker believes that stress tests, which measure blood flow, do not accurately predict heart attacks. They chose CIMT because it is a quick, non-invasive, and inexpensive way to identify soft plaque, which is a key indicator of heart attack risk.

What was the speaker's reasoning for taking a Statin medication despite their initial reservations?

The speaker took a low-dose Statin to decrease cardiovascular inflammation, not to lower cholesterol levels. They believe that low-dose Statins can be beneficial when used correctly and are not central to plaque management but an adjunct.

How did the speaker's views on the importance of lifestyle changes compare to the role of prescription medications in managing arterial plaque?

The speaker emphasized that lifestyle changes are paramount in managing arterial plaque and that prescription medications cannot replace a healthy lifestyle. They noted that supplements and medications are less important than diet and exercise.

What was the speaker's stance on the use of baby aspirin and its potential risks and benefits?

The speaker acknowledged the risk of bleeding associated with baby aspirin but also recognized its proven benefits in decreasing the risk of heart attacks by preventing clot formation. They recommend it only when there is evidence of plaque.

How did the speaker's lipid profile change after transitioning to a keto diet, and what does this suggest about the relationship between diet and cholesterol levels?

The speaker's LDL cholesterol increased from 55 to 180 after transitioning to a keto diet. This suggests that a low-carb or keto diet can impact cholesterol levels differently for different individuals and that the relationship between diet and cholesterol is complex.

Outlines

00:00

😱 Personal Journey of Arterial Plaque Reversal

The speaker recounts a personal health crisis that led to the discovery of arterial plaque, despite a seemingly healthy lifestyle. Initially devastated by the findings, they embarked on a mission to understand and reverse the condition. The narrative outlines their dietary, lifestyle, and medical changes, including the adoption of a low-carb diet, exercise modifications, and the use of supplements. The speaker emphasizes the importance of addressing plaque through lifestyle changes rather than solely relying on medication.

05:00

🔍 Discovering the Presence of Arterial Plaque

This section delves into the speaker's realization of arterial plaque through a CIMT (Carotid Intima-Media Thickness) test, which revealed plaque buildup despite a history of healthy habits. The speaker explains the significance of CIMT as a measure of plaque and the importance of addressing metabolic issues linked to plaque formation. The paragraph also highlights the emotional impact of the diagnosis and the initial sense of failure despite a commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

10:02

🏃‍♂️ Lifestyle Changes and the Impact on Arterial Health

The speaker describes the transformative steps taken to combat arterial plaque, including a shift from a low-fat to a low-carb diet, changes in exercise routines, and the incorporation of supplements. They detail the significant reduction in CIMT measurements, indicating a reversal of arterial age, and discuss the concept of plaque reversal, emphasizing the reduction of inflammation rather than the removal of cholesterol or calcium deposits.

15:03

🧠 Understanding Plaque Composition and Stability

This paragraph focuses on the composition of arterial plaque, distinguishing between homogeneous (soft and dangerous) and heterogeneous (mixed and more stable) plaques. The speaker shares insights into how inflammation and the body's healing process can lead to plaque calcification, which, in certain forms, can indicate plaque stability. The importance of stabilizing plaque to prevent heart attacks and strokes is underscored, along with the speaker's personal efforts to achieve this.

20:05

🌟 Reversing Plaque and Maintaining Health

The speaker provides an update on their health, including the latest CIMT results and the maintenance of a healthy arterial age. They discuss the role of lifestyle, exercise, and supplements in managing cardiovascular health and the decision to take low-dose statins for their anti-inflammatory benefits rather than cholesterol reduction. The paragraph also touches on the speaker's approach to managing body fat and the significance of strong leg muscles in regulating blood sugar.

25:07

📚 The Limitations of Traditional Heart Disease Screening

In this section, the speaker challenges conventional heart disease screening methods, such as stress tests and calcium scores, arguing for the importance of identifying soft plaque through methods like CIMT. They discuss the new technology of CT angiograms with AI but highlight its limitations, including cost and invasiveness. The speaker also addresses the root cause of their arterial plaque, linking it to pre-diabetes and insulin resistance.

30:08

💊 Controversial Choices in Plaque Management

The speaker confesses to using statins and baby aspirin as part of their plaque management strategy, despite the controversy surrounding these medications. They explain their reasoning, focusing on the anti-inflammatory effects of statins at low doses and the preventative benefits of baby aspirin against clot formation. The paragraph concludes with a strong statement about the primacy of lifestyle changes over medications in managing cardiovascular health and the speaker's commitment to sharing life-saving information.

Keywords

💡Arterial Plaque

Arterial plaque, also known as atherosclerosis, is the build-up of fatty deposits (plaque) in the arteries. It is a key concept in this video as the narrator describes his personal journey of reversing arterial plaque. The term is used to discuss the health crisis the narrator faced and the steps he took to improve his cardiovascular health.

💡Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack or stroke. In the video, the narrator's focus on reversing arterial plaque is directly related to reducing his risk of cardiovascular disease, which is a central theme of his story.

💡Low-Fat Diet

A low-fat diet is a diet that reduces the total fat intake, particularly from saturated and trans fats. The narrator initially followed a low-fat diet but later transitioned to a low-carb diet after discovering his arterial plaque, as he realized the low-fat diet was not effectively managing his pre-diabetes and cardiovascular risk.

💡Low-Carb Diet

A low-carb diet is a diet that restricts carbohydrate intake, which can help control blood sugar levels and promote weight loss. The video's narrator switched to a low-carb diet as part of his strategy to reverse arterial plaque, highlighting its effectiveness in managing his pre-diabetes and improving his overall health.

💡Pre-Diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a health condition characterized by blood sugar levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. The narrator's revelation of having pre-diabetes is a pivotal moment in the video, leading to significant lifestyle changes that contributed to plaque reversal.

💡CIMT

CIMT stands for Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, a non-invasive ultrasound test used to measure the thickness of the walls of the carotid arteries, indicating the presence of arterial plaque. The CIMT test is central to the video's narrative as it is how the narrator discovered and monitored his arterial plaque.

💡Inflammation

Inflammation is part of the body's immune response to harmful stimuli but can also contribute to chronic diseases when present in excess. In the context of arterial plaque, reducing inflammation is crucial for plaque stabilization and reversal. The narrator discusses the role of inflammation in arterial health and how his lifestyle changes helped decrease it.

💡Statin

A statin is a medication used to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. The narrator controversially mentions using a statin not to lower cholesterol but to decrease cardiovascular inflammation, showing an alternative perspective on the use of this medication.

💡Ketosis

Ketosis is a metabolic state in which the body burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. The narrator describes being in a state of ketosis as part of his low-carb diet, which helped him achieve and maintain a healthier body composition and reduce his cardiovascular risk.

💡HDL Cholesterol

HDL cholesterol, or 'good cholesterol,' helps remove LDL cholesterol and other fats from the bloodstream, reducing plaque build-up in arteries. The narrator's increase in HDL cholesterol on a low-carb diet is highlighted as a positive outcome of his dietary changes.

💡Supplements

Supplements are vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients that are added to the diet to enhance health. The narrator mentions taking various supplements, such as vitamin D3 and K2, as part of his strategy to improve his health and manage his arterial plaque.

Highlights

The individual reversed 20 years of arterial plaque through lifestyle changes and believes many people can stabilize or decrease plaque.

Despite a healthy lifestyle, the person developed cardiovascular plaque, indicating the complexity of heart disease risk factors.

The CIMT (Carotid Intima Media Thickness) test was used to measure arterial plaque, highlighting its importance in assessing cardiovascular health.

A low-fat diet was replaced with a low-carb diet to combat pre-diabetes and reduce arterial plaque.

The person's blood sugar levels peaked over 160, indicating pre-diabetes severe enough to cause cardiovascular plaque.

Transitioning to a low-carb diet led to a significant reduction in CIMT, effectively reversing arterial age.

Plaque reversal involves reducing inflammation rather than removing calcium or cholesterol from the arteries.

Heterogenous plaque, a mix of soft and calcified material, is a sign of healing and plaque stability.

Lifestyle changes, particularly diet and exercise, are more impactful on plaque management than medications or supplements.

The importance of weight loss and maintaining a healthy body fat percentage in managing cardiovascular health.

High-intensity interval training and muscle training, especially in the legs, are crucial for managing blood sugar levels.

Supplements such as vitamin D3, K2, and Kyolic Garlic were incorporated into the individual's routine to support health.

The person's arterial age was reduced to a healthy level, significantly below the average for their age group.

The use of statins at low doses to decrease cardiovascular inflammation, rather than to lower cholesterol levels.

Baby aspirin was used to decrease the risk of heart attacks by preventing clot formation, despite the risk of bleeding.

The person's LDL levels increased significantly after transitioning to a keto diet, challenging conventional beliefs about LDL and heart health.

The importance of lifestyle over prescription medications in managing and preventing chronic diseases.

The individual's commitment to sharing life-saving information and the impact it has on their motivation to educate others.

Transcripts

I reversed 20 years of arterial

[Music]

plaque for years I was eating the wrong

diet when I actually got tested I was

emotionally annihilated despite my

efforts I still developed cardiovascular

plaque I truly believe that what I did

can be done by many people not everyone

can reverse pla but almost everybody can

stabilize it and decrease your risk of a

heart attack take the vast majority of

that risk right off the table this is

what I did this is my story of how I

reversed my arterial

plaque this video is about how I found

plaque in my own arteries and what I did

to reverse it I hope my story can help

you identify whether you have plight and

what you can do to minimize it I'll

cover the dietary lifestyle supplements

and medication change es I did after I

found out that I had

plag you'll see both my actual cimt

studies showing the presence and then

the reversal of plaque in my arteries

stay until the end and I'll show you how

my latest numbers turned out we'll also

show medical lab tests demonstrating the

exact cause of the problem and then

blood tests that show What reversed that

plaque spoiler alert I'm like most of us

aging took a toll on my insulin

receptors remember growing old is just

not for

sissies at the end of the video I'll

share a confession with you it's about

an unpopular Choice I've made to manage

my plag and I've already caught a lot of

grief here's what happened at age 57 I

thought I was healthy I've been a

prevention dog for four over 40 years

about four decades I ran the preventive

medicine program at Johns Hopkins so I

taught the doctors at Johns Hopkins and

that's arguably the number one

preventive medicine program in the

world as far as prevention was concerned

I also practiced what I preached and

that was all about lifestyle and no

medications lowfat dietary guidelines

were the standard at that point in time

nobody questioned it at that time we

were just discovering that cholesterol

in the diet might not be the cause of

cholesterol in the artery walls so as

that concept turned around it was

turning towards

calories since fat was the most calorie

dense fat must be the biggest problem

that was the logic anyway I believed it

at that time and for

decades not

anymore but that's a different story for

later back to those previous Decades of

my lifestyle I overachieved in the

cardio exercise space I ran half

marathons sometimes more than every week

I ran a dozen full

marathons by age

55 I was not only against

medication but also against supplements

to me supplements at that point were

just expensive

urine but something happened at age 54 I

should have paid a lot more attention

during a routine screening I noticed my

blood pressure was 130 over

90 and it didn't come back down I didn't

like it but I finally agreed to take

medication to lower my blood

pressure I retired yet again I've

retired a few times it's started looking

for something to do a mutual friend

introduced me to Brad Bale and Amy

donine Brad and Amy teach their own form

of preventive medicine I read their book

beat the heart attack Gene which opened

the door to two other perspectives for

me first it made me question the

standard model of heart disease focused

on LDL cholesterol or quote bad

cholesterol like most dogs of course I

knew that diabetes caused heart disease

but I had no clue just how common PR

pre-diabetes

is and also like most docs I didn't know

how to diagnose it and like most docs I

really had no clue that metabolic

disease causes most chronic diseases and

even most of what many of us call normal

aging the second perspective I got from

Reading Brad and Amy's book was test

don't guess coming from Hopkins I'd

always been focused more on William

osler's advice on History listening to

the patient getting focused on Brad and

Amy and thinking about tests don't guess

gave me a whole different perspective I

began to realize that patients listen to

lab tests when they won't often listen

to their doctor so Brad invited me to

their next event they were training

doctors in Las Vegas I joined them there

some vendors were providing a free

screening test called

cimt it was a quick test literally less

than 5 minutes safe there is no

radiation and inexpensive the routine

price was between $2 and

$300 that test again is called the cimt

it stands for kateed intima media

thickness test

it's an ultrasound of your neck with a

special measurement technology component

it's used to measure plaque instead of

what most tests like the stress tests do

measuring blood flow so why looking at

the neck the kateed instead of the heart

plaque formation is due to metabolic

issues metabolism metabolism is the same

all over your body so if you have plaque

in one artery bin you have it in all the

others but here's the key cimt doesn't

focus on blood flow it focuses on plaque

and more importantly the type of

plaque again that's why cardiac stress

tests which measure blood flow do not

predict heart attacks back to the story

so I took the cimt test expecting to see

no

plague I was

wrong look look at this chart this was

2015 and you can see my name and two

pictures my right and left cored

arteries what really impacted me here

was the number next to it 1.29 mm on the

right side and

1.25 mm on the left side now what does

that mean this is an artery and it has

many layers let's focus on two of these

layers the one in the middle is called

the media it's made mostly of muscle it

allows the artery to expand like one of

those expanding garden hoses then you

have the inner layer of the artery wall

the intima it deals with the essential

metabolic functions of the vessel like

dropping off oxygen and picking up

cellular waste

materials guess where plaque builds up

no not on the inside but between those

two layers the intima and the media

that's why they call this test the

kateed intima media thickness test the

ideal thickness is 1 mm or less any time

you go over that it's considered a

significant

plaque some more conservative

researchers don't count plaque until it

reaches

13 mm thickness now it took me time to

realize that despite all of my healthy

habits I had still developed

cardiovascular

plaque that was a gut punch At first I

felt like all that work that discipline

to stay healthy was wasted I felt like

maybe I should have just let myself go

eat all I wanted lie on the couch watch

TV be lazy eat nachos etc etc etc it it

took me weeks to emotionally wrap my

head around the other

side if I still had plaque with my focus

on

prevention what shape would I have been

in If I had not taken care of my

body it slowly dawned on me that I could

already have had a heart attack I could

even already be dead it doesn't take

much plaque to cause a heart attack now

here's another thing that changed my

life right here you can see even though

my average IMT was below 1 mm I still

had more plaque than the average 57y old

I actually had the arteries of a 73y old

and that's when I started to think I've

got to change something or I could die I

lived in Lexington Kentucky at the time

each Saturday morning I ran my half

marathon through some of the most

beautiful horse country in the

world I remember starting the Saturday

morning after discovering my

plaque it occurred to me that if I had a

heart attack out there in those horse

farms it would be hours before my body

was found cold and

lifeless pardon the drama but those

fears are normal for someone that's

first recognized

their

mortality and often from finding the

first time your own

cardiovascular

risk then I finally composed myself and

realized I'm a professional in this

space I know more about it than most and

I needed to listen to my own medicine

for example exercise like jogging

doesn't cause heart attacks and I needed

to move on so that's what I did

when I returned home from that run I

decided to make a few changes I did a

few more

tests I did multiple tests but the most

important was an oral glucose tolerance

test these next three sentences are the

three most important sentences in this

video If you hear nothing else at least

hear this my blood sugar peaked over 160

that meant I had enough pre diabetes to

cause cardiovascular plaque let me

repeat my blood sugars peaked at greater

than 160 indicating enough pre-diabetes

to cause plaque and heart disease

risk so remember those changes I

committed to make one of them was and

the biggest one was I switched from a

lowfat diet to a low carb diet my

biggest change out of all of them was

switching from a lowfat diet to a low

carb diet and today I've tested multiple

diets ranging from carnivore to vegan to

paleo ketovore and everything in between

but all were on the low carb side now

I'm doing even keto I'm CTIC about 5

days a week I've been fat adapted for

about 10 years

these days I blow acetone in the range

of between five and 20 parts per million

again five days a week so if you didn't

get that let me say it differently I'm

ktic most days I'm burning fat no matter

which diet I'm on I just don't eat

enough carbs to change that part of my

diet no matter which diet I try vegan or

carnivore I especially avoid processed

carbs grain products let me show you the

progress this is the biggest progress

I've ever

made in about one year I was able to

reduce my average cimt from 88 to

067 mm that was one year reduced my

average cimt into my media thickness

from 88 to 67 millim now let me explain

what that means if you look at the image

right here it means that I was able to

reverse my arterial age from 73 to 52

years in one year I was able to reverse

about 20 years of worth of arterial

plaque

deposition now how did this happen let's

go back and talk about what does quote

plaque

reversal actually

mean when you reverse plaque you're not

necessar taking calcium out of the

artery it doesn't even mean taking

cholesterol out of the artery

necessarily here's what you're doing

what you are doing is taking the

inflammatory liquid the swelling and

puss out of the plaque so it's like

you're deflating a balloon or a tire it

will decrease the size of the plaque and

the size of the intima media

thickness loss of inflammation

makes plaque shrink calcium deposits are

just

biomarkers they're biomarkers of

decreasing inflammation but not

everything is sunshine and rainbows I

still had to plaque take a look at

another cimt from

2019 you can read the description of the

cimt in different areas of the kateed

artery here in the comments my R koted

bulb says 1.3 again in millimeters and

and the letter H H stands for

heterogenous heterogenous ah this sounds

geeky but hang in there for a minute

it's essential you'll see why you've

seen the word heterogenous heterogenous

means mixed just like homogeneous means

consistent heterogenous plaque is a

mixture of soft and calcified plaque how

calcified well it's actually mostly

calcified as you can see in the white in

the image right here soft hardened and

mixed plaque is classified by the amount

of calcium embedded in that plaque new

plaque is

homogeneous soft and deadly it can

squeeze into the bloodstream where the

inflammatory goo causes

clots the clots cause the problem not

the plaque itself the inflammatory

liquid is basically pus

soft plaes have a very thin cap near the

intima it doesn't even have to be big

just soft as the body heals the plaque

it

calcifies this is an example of

heterogenous partially calcified plaque

you can see it has some calcium which is

good calcium in this case helps with the

healing and scarring process it's a

biomarker of of plaque

stability now here this is not the

healthiest

calcification calcium is all over the

place it's not organized and it's

surrounded by a lot of hot liquid like

islands of hot liquid and and

calcium this plaque can still rupture if

the cap is

thin this is calcified plaque the

calcium is well organized and it has a

thick cap it won't break it's stable it

won't cause a heart attack or a

stroke removing inflammation or

reversing plaque causes more stable

plaque and less or no soft plaque the

best goal is to have no plaque at all

but most of us develop plaque as we age

into insulin resistance when we do

here's what to do stabilize that plaque

and keep it stable so what did I do to

reverse my plaque remember when I said I

came back from that first long run after

finding out my plaque and I decided to

change a few things I changed the way I

ate as I said I went from low fat to low

carb I changed the way I exercise I

changed my mind on supplements I changed

the way I

slept and yes I even started medications

some of these changes like medications

and supplements were helpful but far

less important than lifestyle that's

been proven time and time and time again

lifestyle is King the most important

change for most people is weight loss at

510 I weighed about 157 pounds so I

didn't have much opportunity there I did

lose 5 to 10 lbs and that did help I

also traded in Marathon level distances

for a lot more hit and resistance

training especially in the legs

metabolically active strong legs are the

most effective internal safety valve

against rising blood

sugar I started taking supplements I

started with vitamin D3 5,000

international units and nasin 200

milligrams a day mostly because I had

some HDL issues I've updated that list

to my current needs and now I'm taking

vitamin D3 5,000 international units a

day K2 400 micrograms a day with an

additional tablespoon of natto el

citrine magnesium L3 and8 magnesium

chloride Kyolic Garlic and I'm also

eating taking more nanto let me tell you

where I am now this is my latest cimt

from December

2023 this cimt is from cardio risk

cardio risk has world class cimt quality

processes as you can see in my left

kateed artery I still did not develop

more significant plaque it stayed mostly

below 1.2

millim on my right side that plaque I

had from the beginning is still 1.3 mm

and it's still stable or

heterogenous let's take a closer look at

that obnoxious plaque as you can see in

the image it's very white that's calcium

it's mainly calcified again it's

stable I was 66 years old when I did

this test in December of

2023 my arterial age is now drum roll

please

my arteries are still back at the

healthy level of 58 years old and I'm

still way below the average for my age

now regarding Labs we talked about those

early on I've had low HDL for most of my

life I've actually increased my HDL when

I went low carb I did that even though I

was aging and most of the time people

age and decrease their HD DL now why is

that important low HDL is a very strong

warning sign of unhealthy carb

metabolism meaning that I've probably

had subpar carbon metabolism even when I

was much much younger in other words

probably bad genetics getting those

carbs out of my diet has helped my

metabolism as shown in lipid or

cholesterol profiles and

fractionation now what am I doing at

this point first and foremost I keep my

body fat down I've had two dexa scans

here are the images my body fat stays

around

20% that's equivalent to an

18-year-old the average 18-year-old my

visceral fat stays around a half a pound

to a pound that's also very healthy for

an older man like me and it's not

incredible easy either but after Decades

of watching my body fat it's not that

difficult either by the way I have ice

cream twice weekly as you can see my

diet is usually but not always lightly

to moderately ktic even with the ice

cream I never had positive uh urinary

ketones until recently recently I went

on a 5B water fast and uh really got

very kit urine strips but I've always

known or over the past couple of years

I've known that I'm ketotic because of

breath ketones I ex exhale about 10

parts per million acetone most days yes

aceton finger polish removal stuff that

chemical and yes your body makes it when

it's burning fat urinary ketones are far

more challenging to see if one you've

been fat adapted for a long time

and two you remain mildly to moderately

ketotic both of those descriptions fit

me I've been managing my carbs at this

point for over a decade I also work out

regularly and hard I do hit and rehit

high-intensity interval training as you

see on the screen I'm not just jogging I

am sprinting uphill I followed Shan

Amara's uphill sprinting advice

long before I'd ever heard of sha Amara

these uphill Sprints are also aggressive

for a 67y old man I do multiple types of

multiple train of muscle training

especially in my legs strong

metabolically active leg muscles are our

best safety valve against rising blood

sugar and I do this work multiple times

each week it takes discipline but but

whether it's diet or exercise the

hardest part is actually making that

change and making the change

stick so if you're sitting there and

thinking everybody knows that you should

get a stress test and then a stin and

then just be done with it instead of all

of this hill Sprints and diet

management uh if you're thinking that be

aware that I wrote a whole book on why

stress tests don't predict heart attack

and stance don't prevent them the

calcium score is more well-known and

it's harder to mess up than a cimt but

calcium scores don't tell you everything

in fact they don't tell you the most

important thing they don't tell you

anything about soft

plaque also a high calcium score can

mean either unhealthy

calcification or healthy calcification

so it has its limits I do recommend it

to find out if you have plaque for the

first time but even a score of zero is

no guarantee there are plenty of people

that have had heart attacks with the

zero calcium scores after watching this

video you may understand why if not

we'll cover that in another video lastly

the new kit on the Block CT angiogram

with AI artificial intelligence

I'm a big fan it can show both soft and

calcified plaque with a lot of detail

however it has some downsides it's more

expensive it is invasive somewhat and

with the wrong interpretation it can

also put you through the process of

getting an un necessary stint or

bypassed I chose cimt because despite

its challenges it's the only quick

non-invasive inexpensive way to identify

soft plaque again soft plaque is the key

you're right if you think the lack of

radiation is an advantage too it is the

other ones all have radiation but I

don't think the radiation from a ctog or

clearly a calcium score is significant

if you're dealing with cardiovascular

disease risk I do plan to get a c

angiogram with AI analysis at some point

as we said it's expensive timec

consuming requires radioactive die I

just keep putting it off because the

only reason I really need to do it a CT

anagram is to provide it to my viewers

on YouTube and I obviously like you guys

a lot but CT anagrams a headache we've

yet to talk that much about what caused

all this in short I belong to those 52%

of us over AG 18 with pre-diabetes and

guess what within a couple more years my

insulin receptors continued to age into

a state of full type 2 diabetes now I

took all the risk off the table I'm not

worried about it again I took the risk

off the table many people like Jason

Fong uh Eric Westman would say I think

they would say I cured my diabetes in

other words I don't eat carbs I don't e

enough carbs to cause a problem now I

also told you early on that I was going

to give you a

confession the next thing is going to

create controversy it already has I've

gotten hater comments from some of the

most prominent content creators and

viewers in this space but be patient

with me cutting carbs was not the very

first thing I did I didn't even know I

had pre-diabetes for the first few weeks

the very first thing I did was to take a

medication and guess what type it was a

Statin by the name of Simba Statin it

was low dose and I wasn't trying to beat

down my LDL cholesterol in fact LDL

cholesterol was very low and if you're

about to click away just hear me out for

a second yes I know Staten are

associated with significant problems and

yes big Pharma has made more than a ton

of money from Statin but here's the

problem it's mainly used at higher Doses

and it's mostly used to beat down LDL

cholesterol everybody beats up on Statin

and they beat up on me for saying that I

Ed them so what is the purpose of a

stattin is it like most people think to

decrease

cholesterol no I don't use STS to lower

cholesterol so why did I take it the

evidence is clear that lowo statins can

decrease cardiovascular inflammation I

only use lowo statins myself or for my

patients who choose statins and I only

recommend either Ruba Statin or

pitavastatin the generics I actually

switched from simvastatin to Pravastatin

and even now I take a lowd dose

resua 5 milligrams two or three times

per week also you don't have to take it

every day especially the ones like Rea

Staten with the longer halflife now this

sometimes needs to be clarified and I

get comments like here is a video from

Dr Brewer selling stattin I'm not

selling statins this video is not

sponsored the reality is St satins can

help but they're not Central to plaque

management they get way too much Focus

they're simply an adjunct to lowering

cardiovascular

inflammation not

LDL I also took baby aspirin there is

risk of bleeding but it has been proven

to decrease the risk of heart attacks by

not developing clots baby aspirin is

also not for everybody I only recommend

it when they is evidence of plague

anyhow let's move on multiple studies

plus just plain old logic have shown

multiple times prescription

medications cannot come anywhere close

to Lifestyle you cannot out prescribe or

even outs supplement a lifestyle and the

most important part of lifestyle is

eating habits supplements are far more

popular than prescription medications

there are times in my practice when over

half of my patients have chosen zero

medications and not only am I okay with

that I'm very impressed with it if

you're wondering about LDL recently when

I or my LDL I've got another story there

recently when I transitioned from low

carb to a keto diet my LDL increased

from

55 to 110 I'd always head low LDL and

then the next month up to

180 additionally even though I'm still

technically diabetic my triglycerides

A1C and Insulin are as low as they can

be they're very very low and I have a

healthy HDL cholesterol so if you've

made it this far thank you for your

interest I'm retired sort of yes I love

traveling golf but I love having an

impact far more people tell us all the

time that we're saving lives every day

with this information and we believe

them there's no travel or Leisure

activity that can ever match saving a

life if you'd like more information let

me suggest this video