SS Radio #141: The Great Cholesterol Con with Dr. Malcolm Kendrick

[Mark Rippetoe]

The Great Cholesterol Con with Dr. Malcolm Kendrick | Starting Strength Radio #141

[CommanderFun]

The Great Cholesterol Con with Dr. Malcolm Kendrick | Starting Strength Radio #141

You mentioned how the testosterone reference range has slid down, and seemed rather perplexed that quadruple digits is now classified as high. I'm just curious, have you seen old data that show 1000+ ng/dl was much more common in the past? The subject of the generational decline is a fascination I have, especially since I seem to be stuck in that boat myself. Things I'm reading are even beginning to suggest my keratoconus could very well be related to hormonal issues.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I haven't seen any "old data" since such things are not immediately available. I just remember the old reference range, and it was higher than the new one.

[CommanderFun]

I haven't seen any "old data" since such things are not immediately available. I just remember the old reference range, and it was higher than the new one.

Yeah, that's why I asked if you'd seen something. It's hard to get a lot of good information on the subject. A lot of stuff you find about testosterone decline is just preamble to sell you testosterone boosters.

[Jovan Dragisic]

Dr. Malcom is a really down to earth guy.

[Subby]

Dr. Kendrick mentioned a norwegian study I think it was that compared the guidelines from 20 years ago to show that 95% of 50 year olds would require treatment today was interesting but he didn't name it. Anyone know of it/it's name?

That story about the 102 yo dementia lady got me riled up. At that point it's basically medical fraud on par with claiming welfare from dead people.

[Dave Longley]

Absolutely fantastic podcast.

I heartily recommend “innumeracy” by John Allen Paulos. A very useful book.

[Frank_B]

Just got a chance to listen to this episode. I found it thoroughly fascinating, and ordered the book. One question: I have heard HDL cholesterol, often considered the "good cholesterol," is often thought to be protective for the heart. The explanation I've always heard has been that it binds to the LDL particles and whisks them away, preventing them from becoming atherosclerotic plaques. Since the LDL myth seems to have been busted, does this render thoughts about HDL irrelevant as well? Or does higher levels of HDL indeed have heart-healthy benefits for some other reason, albeit one we may not know?

If this is covered in the book, my apologies.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Covered in the book.

[Bill Anders]

I heartily recommend “innumeracy” by John Allen Paulos. A very useful book.

Absolutely! Any of Paulos' books, really. A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper is an excellent start, leading into Innumeracy and Beyond Numeracy.

Similarly, Richard Nisbett's Mindware spends a lot of time dissecting medically-related statistics and probabilities in a highly digestible presentation. Even better, you can attend, for free, his course of the same name through the University of Michigan where he walks through all of it. It's worth much more than you pay for it.