How to Prevent Heart Disease and Extend Your Healthspan | Dr Laurence Sperling | The Proof EP

👇 Visit The Proof website for the full show notes and supporting studies. 👇 https://theproof.com/podcast/

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Laurence Sperling, a world-renowned preventive cardiologist, to unpack the truth about early cardiovascular disease, how it progresses, and most importantly how we can prevent it.

We explore everything from cholesterol and blood pressure to genetic risk, environmental exposures, diet, and the role of screening tools like calcium scoring and CT angiograms. Dr. Sperling shares a refreshing, deeply informed perspective on heart health, breaking down complex science in a way that’s easy to understand and immediately useful.

In this episode, we cover:
Why heart disease begins in childhood (or even before birth)
How to detect atherosclerosis before symptoms arise
LDL, ApoB, and lipoprotein(a): what they mean and how low is low enough
Blood pressure, triglycerides, and what “normal” actually means
When to get a coronary artery calcium score or CT angiogram
Whether keto diets and high cholesterol can be “healthy”
The real impact of GLP-1 meds, obesity, and stress
Daily habits I’m adopting based on this conversation
Why public health and policy are key to fixing this crisis

Whether you’re 25 or 65, this conversation is packed with insights that can help you live longer and better by understanding and protecting your cardiovascular system.

Highlights:
0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:24 Why Prevention Should Start Before Birth
0:10:42 Is It Genetics or Lifestyle? Understanding Risk
0:16:48 Public Health Strategy That Prevents Millions of Heart Attacks
0:22:26 How Geography and Income Impact Heart Disease Risk
0:29:19 Familial Hypercholesterolemia and Lifetime Cholesterol Exposure
0:35:45 What Diet and Lifestyle Patterns Lower Risk Long-Term
0:47:34 LDL, HDL, and the New Science of Non-HDL Cholesterol
0:55:24 Does High Blood Pressure Still Harm Arteries if ApoB Is Low?
1:05:24 Lipoprotein(a): The Triple Threat You Should Know About
1:09:39 When Should You Start Cardiac Risk Assessments?
1:18:41 Can a Calcium Score of Zero Be Misleading in Younger Adults?
1:25:14 CT Calcium vs. CT Angiogram: Which Scan Is Right?
1:36:41 Is Subclinical Atherosclerosis the Same as Heart Disease?
1:43:19 What Are Optimal LDL and Blood Pressure Levels to Prevent Heart Disease?
1:51:21 How GLP-1 Drugs Help With Weight and Heart Disease Prevention
2:00:25 Public Health Policies That Could Save Millions
2:04:31 Cardiologist-Approved Daily Habits for a Healthy Heart

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Enjoy, friends.
Simon

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Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons)
Creator of http://theproof.com/
Host of https://theproof.com/podcast/
Author of https://theproof.com/book/