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Saving Lives In Slow Motion
High cholesterol - the myth and reality
Cholesterol has become an obsession for so many people over the last 50 years. In this episode I look at the story of cholesterol and why it is important and when to worry about it.
Links:
The history of cholesterol: https://www.escardio.org/Journals/E-Journal-of-Cardiology-Practice/Volume-19/history-in-medicine-the-story-of-cholesterol-lipids-and-cardiology
Food and cholesterol: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/11-foods-that-lower-cholesterol
Monacolin K (in both red yeast rice and statins): https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/monacolins
Numbers need to treat (NNT):
https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/resources/ebm-tools/number-needed-to-treat-nnt
Diet and statins: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/aug/29/mediterranean-diet-better-than-statins-for-tackling-heart-disease-study
Homocysteine and heart disease: https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-021-01977-8
Flawed study or is it because not all LDL is bad? https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/behind-the-headlines/cholesterol-and-statins
Reduction of ApoB and risk reduction of heart disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7489462/
TG:HDL ratio (Triglycerides to HDL): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2664115/#:~:text=3%20The%20ratio%20of%20triglycerides,lower%20than%20this%20value4.
NICE recommendation for statins:
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More episodes
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227. Why Some Diagnoses Take Years - a challenge for both patient and doctor
14:47||Season 1, Ep. 227Mystery symptoms can be frustrating but what if they are a sign of an actual condtion? In this episode I look at Endometriosis, Primary Biliary Cholangitis, Lupus and Parkinsons Disease as examples of conditions that can be hard to diagnose and why.Endometriosis info: https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/Endometriosis: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdj9d1pzl8noLupus (SLE): https://lupusuk.org.uk/Lupus in Africa: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772829324000845PBC: https://britishlivertrust.org.uk/information-and-support/liver-conditions/primary-biliary-cholangitis/Parkinsons body vs brain first: https://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/news/researchers-parkinsons-origin-explained-brain-first-body-first-model/
226. Ageing Gracefully - what does it really mean?
15:33||Season 1, Ep. 226Each year on my birthday I reflect on the year I have had with gratitude and think about the future. In this episode I look at ageing and what it means to people and how different people navigate it.Muscle strength as we age: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3940510/Eyesight and ageing: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/20-ways-aging-changes-your-eyesHearing loss: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/5840-age-related-hearing-lossPersonality and health: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/longer-life-personality-traits-experts-study-b2834833.htmlBlue zones: https://www.bluezones.com/Pesticides: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11664077/Microplastics: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/microplastics-salad-pollution-particles-study-b2829790.html
Food - how it heals, how it harms and makes ‘noise'
18:03|In this episode I look at food, how we see it societally and how we can enjoy it to enrich our lives. Circadian rhythm and food: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11849495/Food noise: https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-nutrition/understanding-food-noise-and-how-to-turn-down-the-volumeFoods that heal: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-that-help-you-healLectins: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11535980/Social eating: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-03-16-social-eating-connects-communitiesBig food industry: https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/news-events/all-news/faculty-news/many-of-today-s-unhealthy-foods-were-brought-to-you-by-big-tobac.html Emotional eating: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/emotional_eatingSavouring: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/click-here-happiness/201807/what-is-savoring-and-why-is-it-the-key-happiness
225. Too Nice vs Too Selfish — Finding the 'Healthy' Middle Ground
16:58||Season 1, Ep. 225In this episode I look at two basic traits people often have and whetherthey impact our health.People pleasing: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/my-side-of-the-couch/202408/people-pleasing-as-a-symptom-of-childhood-traumaExhaustion from being too nice? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-genius-of-empathy/202412/are-you-exhausted-from-being-too-niceEmotional suppression: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24119947/Selfishness of different kinds? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7265883/Jungian masculine/ feminine archetypes: https://scottjeffrey.com/king-warrior-magician-lover-masculine-archetypes/ Healthy selfishness? https://andrewwilkowilkinson.medium.com/10-reasons-why-being-selfish-is-important-for-you-e5a28bf22b13Amandaland: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0024pyy/amandaland
224. Happiness - what’s the secret?
16:47||Season 1, Ep. 224This is one of the big eternal questions and in this episode I look at the science and culture behind what makes us happy.Dr Laurie Santos: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/Lessons in happiness: https://drayanpanja.substack.com/p/lessons-in-happinessHedonistic happiness: https://positivepsychology.com/hedonic-vs-eudaimonic-wellbeing/Eudaimonic happiness: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/what-doesnt-kill-us/201901/what-is-eudaimonic-happinessTime wealth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilRNAQ76VsgToxic positivity: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z64yn9qScreens and happiness (mixed evidence): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9p412ern7oCore values exercise: https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/Gratitude: https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/Action for Happiness: https://actionforhappiness.org/
223. Biomarkers in our blood - measuring what matters
16:41||Season 1, Ep. 223In this episode I look at blood tests that tell us about what’s going on with our biological processes in terms of our long term metabolic health and the blood markers are relevant.Hba1c control: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4933534/Fasting insulin: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11118012/Vitamin D: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10002864/AST/ALT: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10346959/Triglycerides and HDL ratio: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11493158/ApoB: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11219008/HDL cholesterol: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6077683/Hs-CRP: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9650935/Homocysteine: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12564181/Uric Acid: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8624633/Do Health: https://dohealth.co/what-we-measure#wwm-step-1
222. Making Health Fun - could it be as important as any other aspect of health?
15:42||Season 1, Ep. 222In this episode I look at how we can make health fun. Many people find it hard to get going with healthy habits andI look at ways we can make them easier to access without thinking of them as ‘health’.Monkey brain and bad habits: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/saving-lives-in-slow-motion/id1573742958?i=1000597803315Nushu circles: https://digitize.library.ubc.ca/2025/04/10/nushu-chinas-secret-language-of-women-in-our-open-collection/Padel benefits: https://www.ltapadel.org.uk/play/benefits-of-playing-padel/Queens College Step Test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySQ5bawZpMoDancing benefits: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1Hpr6R1f4M7f8Qc6fPGH2hg/why-dancing-is-the-best-way-to-enhance-your-brain-and-fitnessKeep dancing: https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/keep-dancing-preserve-memoryThe IDEAL framework from my book: https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-health-fix-dr-ayan-panja-new-years-resolutions
221. Peptides: what’s all the fuss about?
13:01||Season 1, Ep. 221In this episode I look at peptides - what they are, how they work and why everyone seems to talk about them these days.Links:BPC-157 research: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8504390/Musculoskeletal healing with BPC-157: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12446177/A website promoting benefits despite poor evidence in humans: https://www.hubmeded.com/blog/bpc-157-peptide-benefitsWADA: https://www.wada-ama.org/en/news/wadas-2022-prohibited-list-now-forceGLP-1 drugs - evidence: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12303005/Healthy High Protein book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctors-Kitchen-Healthy-Supercharge-stronger/dp/1529148847
220. Walking - our most underrated health intervention?
15:05||Season 1, Ep. 220In this episode I look at the myriad benefits of walking, why it is often overlooked and the benefits in terms of how it makes us feel and what It does for us.Links:Bill Bowerman’s Jogging: https://www.sneakerfreaker.com/performance/features/how-the-co-founder-of-nike-invented-jogging-bill-bowermanStephen Fry’s story: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2019/aug/stephen-fry-proud-and-relieved-over-five-stone-weight-loss-92021820.html#google_vignetteWalking and mental health: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6064756/The leg power and brain health link: https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2018/06/07/neuroscience-leg-exercise-brain-nervous-system-healthZone 2 training: https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-health/heart-rate-zones-workoutRecovery: https://www.healthline.com/health/active-recoveryRamblers: https://www.ramblers.org.uk/10000 steps: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42864061Walking speed: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/walking-speed-survival/23 and a half hours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGoWalk Yourself Happy: https://amzn.eu/d/0ifCGKpV