Jul 17, 2019
Despite a shifting scientific landscape, dietary cholesterol is still a hotly debated topic. Joe Rogan and Chris Kresser eat eggs every day, while the plant-based community still loves to highlight the supposed dangers of dietary cholesterol. High cholesterol has historically been associated with poor health, but is there a range where cholesterol levels get too low? Our guest in this episode of the podcast believes the combination of a genetic predisposition combined with a strict vegan diet caused him to develop a dangerous cholesterol deficiency. A former assistant professor of Nutrition Science at Brooklyn College, Chris Masterjohn, Ph.D. is one of the smartest minds in nutrition.
Chris shares a fascinating story of how going vegan caused him to develop nutrient deficiencies which led to a battle with mental illness and anxiety. Chris’ subsequent focus on nutrient-dense, animal-based foods restored his health and changed his perspective on how the foods we eat play a large role in cognitive function. We cover a wide range of topics with Chris and he takes a number of controversial positions in this episode, including who shouldn’t eat eggs, nutrient deficiencies that are most likely to arise on a carnivore diet, whether “fancy” blood testing metrics like LDL-P are necessary to gauge cardiovascular health, why some people fail on vegan diets and much more.