Who to listen to. High LDL. Low HDL.
Dr Fuhrman says "vegetarian, no dairy, but nuts, avocado, fish oil good.
Dr Estellstyn who helped President Clinton says "no meat or dairy nuts avocados or oil"
Dr Mercola says " fats are good, fish is good, build up HDL.
I read you don't need HDL when your LDL is reduced. Confused ...what to do...thank you
I have looked this up and there is some evidence that oil, regardless of type or source, reduces endothelial (the lining of your arteries) function and may, in fact, damage it. Oils appear to be vaso-constrictors - they may make your arteries less elastic which restricts circulation.
There is still much to be learned about heart-disease and it is difficult even in scientific studies to isolate all variables while controlling one.
Oils are definitely calorie-dense so from that perspective they should be minimized.
If you are following the Pritikin diet or any other plant-based diet, exercise daily as required, and enjoy one-teaspoon of olive oil per day or less, then it is unlikely to cause significant damage.
However what many studies overlook is that diet affects people with different genes structures, differently. While some people are very sensitive to animal sources of protein and fats, others will be less so.
I have lost 40 pounds through lifestyle change following my bypass in 2015. Throughout this period, I did not restrict my consumption of olive oil and I eat nuts daily. My lab results show my lipid values in the 'normal' range, but not the 'optimal' range desired by cardiologists. My blood pressure is optimal, so I have improved my endothelium function through my dietary and lifestyle changes and weight loss.
If I eliminated nuts from my diet as well as egg-whites and dairy products (I have primarily goat dairy and 0% fat plain Greek yogurt), I would be eliminating my current breakfast.
I summary, Dr. Esselstyn tries to 'reverse heart disease', not just arrest it. This means a stricter diet. If that is also your objective, then you should seriously consider his dietary advice.
I think that once scientists find a piece of a large puzzle they tend to over-react and move in extreme directions.
I personally will continue to consume both nuts and oil, but in great moderation. The key word here is 'moderation' - apply it to everything in life.
thank you for your response. Yes, I totally agree that the stricter diet without fat or as little fat as possible is for reversing disease which I am trying to do. I think nuts are very healthy but they also include saturated fat in addition to the good kind. I just found this out recently. I do take 2 T of Flax of Chia for some good fats.
There is also the camp of Drs that believe saturated fats will improve cholesterol and that carbs and sugar are what is causing the problem.
I am at the point where I am eating a little fruit, vegies, little whole grains and soy. It feels sometimes like there is nothing I should eat except vegetables. That camp says its all about inflamation which is basically sugar. I do have a little sweet at night. It is hard to give that up and a little red wine.
Thanks for writing..
It does not matter what people write or rewrite, from my experience, fat is very important in diet, type of fat also matters!. Therefore look at low carb high fat diet and see the difference olive oil, coconut oil, butter cow or goat good quality cheese, full cream to name a few.
One life enjoy it.
Why is the Mediterranean diet, high in mono-unsaturated oil, proven to be heart healthy then? Again, the facts have been manipulated; too much polyunsaturated oil, particularly omega-6 is the problem you refer to.
Body fat consists of 57% mufa, 40% sfa, 3% pufa, so unless you think your body is trying to kill you, this is the ideal proportion to eat. The lowest natural fat intake I'm aware of in a healthy group of people is 21% by the Kitavans, most of which is sfa from coconuts. Lower intakes than this have to be considered fad diets because they have not stood the test of time.
Foods that chronically raise insulin-like growth factor result in narrowing of the arteries by stimulating endothelial growth, which is why my low Gi, 1:2 carb to fat way of eating has resulted in me having no calcification of the heart. That's the proportion our body actually uses the energy from these macro-nutrients. In a high carb diet for instance, much of the carbohydrate is converted to fat in the body, without the beneficial micro-nutrients that accompany natural fat.
Dr. Fuhrman and Mercola's dietary suggestions are more or less the same. That's what I have been following for 20 months. In the first 10 months, I lost all excess body weight and stabilized at my optimum weight of 155 lbs or 70.3 kg (I'm a male aged 55, 5'10" or 178 cm in height). I had a triple bypass and 5 stents inserted in March 2015.
High HDL is desirable because it is a scavenger of LDL (bad cholesterol), the higher your HDL the better.
LDL-C (cholesterol volume) is really not as important as LDL-P (particle number). Current medical protocols follow LDL-C, advanced research favours LDL-P, but has not yet been integrated into practice. You can get a proxy for LDL-P by measuring Apolipoprotein B levels (APO-B) at your next blood test, you may have to pay for it.
All of my blood metrics both standard and advanced are either optimal or in the normal range.
Remember that diet alone will not get you to good health - exercise on a daily basis is critical. At a minimum, you should target a daily brisk walk for between 30 and 60 minutes. This can be broken into smaller segments that add up to the total desired.
You can read my experience with heart disease here:
Needed LDL Cholesterol lowering ideas naturally 
Otherwise fit but high cholestrol
We all are very different in the way we process what goes into our mouth. Book writers are there to make money as well. Your body can take or reject food and drinks.
Blood numbers and blood test are there for a reason. Most of the blood numbers are man made, the numbers do not go up but down, (Why?). I still do not know the answer.
Just enjoy one life, when the body tells you there is a problem, then go for investigation. This is not every one's view!
I absolutely agree, I listen to my body! When I feel bad (i.e. when my body tells me something is wrong) that's when I go and see a doctor - maybe. But if I feel perfectly well, then why should I? If it ain't broke, don't fix it....
We aren't as individual as some would like us to believe. Basically, if they deny there are universal truths then you'll buy their products. Vegetarians can be healthy or not, as can omnivores, but what the healthy people have in common is their lower, chronic insulin/insulin-like growth factor and lower visceral fat levels.