Better Understanding LDL and VLDL with Dr. Ben Bikman

When it comes to cholesterol, a lot of people really don't understand what it is, or at least how it moves around in the blood. You've undoubtedly heard of the term ldl, cholesterol. Well, to put it very briefly, LDL is simply a transporter. It's like a bus that is carrying around all kinds of things. Including cholesterol. Yes, and triglycerides and proteins, all sorts of passengers on this bus that we call ldl. But before it is ldl, it is actually known as something called vldl. So VLDL is the actual transport carrier that is originally coming from the liver, and then as it is moving through the blood, it is depositing these triglycerides around the body to be stored or to be burned for energy. But in the process, it starts to become a bit of a different carrier, a different transporter, and that is ldl. Now, we have a fear of ldl, and I want to submit to you that that fear is somewhat misplaced. Let me show you why. This is the title. It is very long and a little confusing. I'll keep it there for a moment so that you can get it. This is the title of a manuscript that actually documented the incidence of a heart attack, death of heart disease, death in people with high LDL or low ldl. And you can see this is the moneymaker. This red line is the group with high LDL but low vldl, and they're the ones who died the least. So the higher, the LDL with a lower VLDL appeared to be the best.