This episode is brought to you by Gut Food, ButcherBox, and Paleovalley.

Heart disease is the number-one killer in the world, and it is often thought of as a cholesterol problem. When you take a closer look, however, there are other factors that drive this chronic disease that can’t be fixed by the most commonly prescribed medication: statin drugs. The way you eat, how much you exercise, how you manage stress, and more all contribute to heart disease.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Aseem Malhotra, Dr. Stanley Hazen, and Dr. Cindy Geyer about why heart disease is easier to prevent than to reverse, why statins are not the answer in most cases, and how the gut microbiome is connected to heart health.

Dr. Aseem Malhotra is an NHS-trained consultant, cardiologist, and visiting professor of Evidence-Based Medicine at the Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health in Salvador, Brazil. He is a pioneer of the lifestyle medicine movement in the UK and in 2018 was ranked by software company Onalytica as the number-one doctor in the world influencing obesity thinking. He is the author of, The Pioppi Diet, coauthored with Donal O'Neill, The 21-Day Immunity Plan, and, A Statin-Free Life.

Dr. Stanley Hazen is both the chair of the Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine at the Lerner Research Institute and section head of Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation at the Heart and Vascular Institute of the Cleveland Clinic. He’s published more than 400 peer-reviewed articles and has over 50 patents from his pioneering discoveries in atherosclerosis and inflammatory disease. Dr. Hazen made the seminal discovery linking microbial pathways to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Cindy Geyer received her Bachelor of Science and her Doctor of Medicine degrees, with honors, from the Ohio State University. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY, and is triple board certified in internal medicine, integrative medicine, and lifestyle medicine. She joined The Ultrawellness Center in 2021 after practicing and serving as the medical director at Canyon Ranch for 23 years.

This episode is brought to you by Gut Food, ButcherBox, and Paleovalley.

Gut Food uses the power of three critical gut-supporting components—prebiotics, probiotics, and polyphenols—and five ingredients at clinically validated dosages to help reduce inflammation, support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, improve digestion and bloating, and support mood & energy. Check it out at gutfood.com.

If you sign up today, ButcherBox will give you two ribeye steaks for free in your first box—just go to butcherbox.com/farmacy.

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Full-length episodes of these interviews can be found here:

Dr. Aseem Malhotra

Dr. Stanley Hazen

Dr. Cindy Geyer