This episode is brought to you by Thrive Market and Athletic Greens.For years well-meaning doctors, echoed by the media, have emphasized what they have long believed is the intimate link between cholesterol and death by heart disease. If only it were so simple! You may hope that if you monitor your cholesterol levels and avoid the foods that are purported to raise cholesterol, you’ll be safe from America’s number-one killer. The truth is much more complex. Cholesterol is only one factor among many—and it’s not even the most important one—that contribute to your risk of getting heart disease.In today’s episode of my series I’m calling Health Bites, I talk about why standard cholesterol testing is outdated and why cholesterol may not be the cause of heart disease.  This episode is brought to you by Thrive Market and Athletic Greens.Thrive Market is an online membership-based grocery store that makes eating well convenient and more affordable. Join today at thrivemarket.com/hyman to receive a FREE gift worth $60.AG1 contains 75 high-quality vitamins, minerals, whole-food sourced superfoods, probiotics, and adaptogens to support your entire body. Right now when you purchase AG1 from Athletic Greens, you will receive 10 FREE travel packs with your first purchase by visiting athleticgreens.com/hyman.Here are more details from the episode (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):

What is cholesterol? (4:36 / 1:48) 

The myth around cholesterol and dietary fat (5:06 / 2:25) 

The biggest source of abnormal cholesterol is not fat—it’s sugar (7:43 / 4:58) 

How lifestyle, environmental influences, and genetics influence cholesterol (8:28 / 5:44)

Key contributors to heart disease (11:05 / 8:19) 

Tests to determine your risk for cardiovascular disease (13:13 / 10:24) 

How to lower your risk of heart disease and fix your cholesterol (16:58 / 14:10)  

The benefits, side effects, and risks of taking statin drugs (18:30 / 15:53) 

Mentioned in this episodeCleerly Sleep-hygiene blogs