The Dr. Oz Show: Cholesterol and Gary Taubes

It may surprise many but I actually agree with GT in large part on what he says about cholesterol.  Problem with that part of GCBC was that he wasn't really saying anything new.    My first cholesterol test was back in the days when just total cholesterol was your basic test.  Mine was slightly high - only moderately overweight at 20 or so years of age.  A few years later the LDL/HDL breakdown became more the norm and my HDL was high.  Now we all know the progression with particle numbers, sizes, etc that has developed over the years and with it less concern over some types, more over others.

So there's lots of moaning going on over at GT's blog and around the LC web over Taubes' appearance on the Dr. Oz TV show 3/7/12.   I'm no fan of Dr. Oz.  I don't watch any of that sort of TV on anything other than a passing basis in doc/dental waiting rooms and such   I did watch the YouTube videos of Dr. Oz with GT on Larry King back in 2007 (is there a part III?) and I'm well aware of Oz's relationship with Oprah.   I'm especially not fond of Dr. Oz after reading this post over at Yoni Freedhoff's Weighty Matters blog.

But the hair-pulling over the supposed sand-bagging of Taubes by Oz on the cholesterol test issue is rather annoying and I just have to comment on it!  Let's say you, me, or anyone with a strong opinion/conviction on the healthfulness of any WOE were to go on a nationally syndicated TV show hosted by a "mainstream cardiologist".  And let's additionally suppose the WOE was similar to that espoused by the "late great Dr. Atkins" himself, as it certainly is.  What has always been the A-number-one knock against or concern with the low carb high fat diet?  Huh?  That's right.  Cholesterol levels.  I would have been shocked were Oz to NOT have broached the issue whatsoever.   Why wasn't Taubes more prepared to answer to this?  

Yeah yeah.  TV.  Drama.  Oz's platform.  He ran the show.  Carby sponsors who you can't tick off.  Yada yada and uh huh.  He let Gary talk good and plenty through it all.  It was Gary who fumbled "big time", out of what seemed to be somewhat of a lack of forethought on what should have been a softball topic for him:  cholesterol.   Why was Taubes so apparently unprepared for the obvious?  Now, I've only watched this online, so I don't know if all of it this is what made it to air, but here's what I'm talking about:  Taubes on Oz - Part III

Oz:  What's your cholesterol?
Taubes:  Mmnnn I don't know  

If one is now advocating a WOE, as Taubes is in WWGF, rather than just countering conventional wisdom and proposing alternative explanations, as Taubes did moreso in GCBC, shouldn't they at least know their cholesterol level?  If for no other reason but to avoid this sort of embarrassing exchange where he comes off as coy and trying to hide something?                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Further, Oz goes on to explain that they had asked Gary if he wanted to check his cholesterol behind the scenes.  Taubes should have been expecting the non-set up set-up Oz "pulled" on him.

Taubes explains to the audience that there are certain tests you can do TC, HDL, LDL - the bad cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Taubes:  Total cholesterol is meaningless, absolutely meaningless, and actually LDL cholesterol is meaningless ...

I wonder then, why Taubes emphasized that LDL is the "bad cholesterol" when describing the tests.

Oz:  Would you allow us to check your cholesterol, any way you want to check it?

Oz threw a huge door wide open here for Taubes to discuss other cholesterol tests besides the routine.  IOW the particle size testing and whatnot.  Why didn't he?

Taubes:  What I've said is for the past three months because my book's come out and I have two young children in my mid fifties  I've been getting about 5 hours sleep ... um and  I don't want a single measure in time to effect ... I have no idea what my cholesterol is.  The problem with finding out the stuff I've learned is that you don't want the normal tests to be done because they become meaningless.   You know, once you understand that total cholesterol is meaningless, you don't want a doctor checking your cholesterol and tell you to go on drugs.

Oz made a good point IMO, regardless of the sat fat nonsense he went on with afterwards.  That being, we should all at least know our numbers (and yours truly confesses being lazy about such things).

But here's my problem with this.  If low carbing is a sustainable and healthy lifestyle, then shouldn't it be "protective" against a "bad snapshot" during a stressful time?  No?  Many are keen to point out that Oz had a precancerous growth removed recently (no, he doesn't have cancer!) ... so n=1 how his "way" is no guarantee after all.  But I guess if Taubes' levels were not quite right, then it would have been because of the stresses or his age or genetics or whatnot.

Taubes stated he's been eating low carb for about 10 years, he looked fitter than I've seen him in his lecture videos, and yet he seems afraid to even have the cholesterol test.  ANY test.   What a let down for the "movement".  Better would have been to know his numbers and explain that his trigs are low even though his LDL is a bit higher than is commonly accepted.  I'm presuming that the LDL is his concern.

He can repeat that TC is meaningless, but he's telling the audience that "once they understand" this, they should essentially all not bother getting tested.  When in reality, he had a golden opportunity to discuss more informative tests available and/or about LDL particle size.

Even more disturbing when Oz went on his sat fat spiel, and discusses sustainability of a diet, Gary counters with:

But the question is are you going to lose weight doing it.

So much about health, right?  You can lose weight, as we've been shown, eating twinkies or McD's, etc.  Slimfast or Atkins shakes.  Weight Watchers or Kim Kins.  That doesn't make any of the plans sustainable or healthy for the long run.   Not to mention maintenance .....

Taubes fell down here.  Too bad, really.   What an opportunity he had to reach people on a national stage with a "mainstream" doctor on the whole cholesterol issue.  Even I would have had kind things to say about him had he made good use of it.  But he seems to want to blame Oz for his game-losing fumble, because Oz did indeed give him floor time to discuss the issues.  Instead we got a litany of excuses for why, even though he doesn't know his numbers, he suspects they're not favorable at this point in time.

One is left with the impression that he is becoming the new Atkins.  No, I'm no "Atkins died of a heart attack" conspiracy theorist, but Atkins was equally coy during his life on his own medical status, and then there's the autopsy or lack thereof of disclosure.  So how it came off with Taubes, as even comments left by his supporters point out.

So .... all together now:  Bash Oz!!!