Book excerpt: Are you confused by what your cholesterol levels really say about your health? Don't you wish someone could just spell it out in simple, easy-to-understand language and tell you what, if anything, you need to do about your cholesterol? Good news! That's precisely what Cholesterol Clarity is designed to do. Jimmy Moore, a prominent and highly respected health blogger and podcaster, has teamed up with Dr. Eric Westman, a practicing internist and nutrition researcher, to bring you one of the most unique books you'll ever read on this subject, featuring exclusive interviews with twenty-nine of the world's top experts from various fields to give you the complete lowdown on cholesterol. If you're worried about any confusing medical jargon in this book, don't be—this critical information is broken down for you to grasp what is really important and what is not. You won't find this kind of comprehensive, cutting-edge, expert-driven cholesterol information all in one place anywhere else. Has your doctor told you your total and/or LDL cholesterol is too high and thus requires you to take immediate action to lower it? Has the solution to your "high cholesterol" been to cut down on your saturated fat intake, eat more "healthy" whole grains and vegetable oils, and possibly even take a prescription medication like a statin to lower it to "desirable" levels? If so, then this is the book for you. Learn what the real deal is from some of the leading experts on the subject. Not only will Cholesterol Clarity tell you what your cholesterol tests—LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and other key cholesterol markers—really mean, but it will also arm you with nutritional guidance that will lead you to optimal health. Are you ready to find out what the HDL is wrong with your numbers?Within the pages of this book you'll learn invaluable lessons, including: • Why your LDL-C and total cholesterol numbers may not be as important in determining your health as your doctor may think-The undeniable negative role that chronic inflammation plays in your health • Why cholesterol-lowering statin drugs don't necessarily solve your heart health concerns • Why your doctor should be testing for LDL particles and particle size when measuring cholesterol • Why HDL and triglycerides are far more predictive of health concerns than LDL-C and total cholesterol • Why consuming foods with saturated fat is good for you, and why carbohydrate-based foods can be detrimental to attaining the best cholesterol numbers • Why a growing number of physicians, researchers, and nutritionists believe treating cholesterol numbers is virtually irrelevant Contributing experts include Cassie Bjork, RD; Philip Blair, MD; Jonny Bowden, PhD; John Briffa, BSc, MB, BS; Dominic D'Agostino, PhD; William Davis, MD; Thomas Dayspring, MD; David Diamond, PhD; Ron Ehrlich, BDS, FACNEM; Jeffry N. Gerber, MD; David Gillespie; Duane Graveline, MD; Paul Jaminet, PhD; Malcolm Kendrick, MD; Ronald Krauss, MD; Fred Kummerow, PhD; Dwight C. Lundell, MD; Robert Lustig, MD; Chris Masterjohn, PhD; Donald Miller, MD; Rakesh "Rocky" Patel, MD; Fred Pescatore, MD; Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD; Stephanie Seneff, PhD; Cate Shanahan, MD; Ken Sikaris, BSc, MBBS, FRCPA, FAACB, FFSc; Patty Siri-Tarino, PhD; Mark Sisson; Gary Taubes