William Davis, M.D., Health Professional

“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...

The topic of coronary calcium scores has come up more and more lately in the media, as studies are reported documenting their use. Just what is a “coronary calcium score” and what does it mean? First of all, atherosclerotic plaque is the material tha...

Learn why pulse pressure is important to your health.

Green tea and red wine are powerhouses of flavonoid content, the plant-sourced family of compounds that are believed to be the source of health benefits of vegetables and fruits. What has more flavonoids than both green tea (brewed) and red wine? Coc...

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’...