William Davis, M.D.

Do you know what triglycerides are? Triglycerides are that number included at the end of every cholesterol panel. You know, the one your doctor usually ignores and most people don’t even know is there. What exactly does this neglected value mean? Tri...

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may not protect heart health as much as previously thought. Learn more about omega-3 studies, information about doses, and other possible health benefits.

“Xanthos” means “yellow” in Greek. Xenthelasma are indeed skin deposits of yellow-colored fatty material and debris, the remnants of inflammatory cells (macrophages) bloated with lipid material that confers the yellow color. LDL particles are trapped ...

Find out about how you can reduce your risk of aortic aneurysms and prevent further enlargement of the aorta.

Triglycerides and small LDL particles, small LDL and triglycerides: Like the Odd Couple, Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar, they come together in an uncomfortable situation. Why would such an odd couple exist in the body? And why does it matter? It all s...

Question from a reader: “My doctor finally performed the advanced lipoprotein analysis I had been asking for. He said that I have something called LDL pattern B. He said that there’s no drug treatment for it. In fact, I don’t think he knew what to do...

Conventional wisdom proclaims that “complex” carbohydrates, such as whole grains and beans, are good for you, better than “simple” carbohydrates like white flour and sucrose. Is that true? Complex carbohydrates have greater fiber and nutrient content...

In my last post, I discussed what a heart scan score, or coronary calcium score, means. You may recall that coronary calcium serves as an indirect gauge, a “dipstick,” for the amount of atherosclerotic plaque present in the three coronary arteries. U...

Learn why pulse pressure is important to your health.

What do carbohydrates have to do with cholesterol? Most people believe that carbohydrates and cholesterol are completely unrelated. After all, don’t fats like saturated fat increase cholesterol levels? What do carbohydrates have to do with it? There’...