Ep. 351: The "Evil Cousin" to LDL - Why Everyone Should Know Their Lp(a) Number with Dr. Akil Taher
PLANTSTRONG Podcast
Rip Esselstyn
4.8 • 2.4K Ratings
🗓️ 30 April 2026
⏱️ 58 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What if one simple blood test could reveal a genetic risk factor for heart disease that affects 1 in 5 people worldwide?
Rip sits down with physician, endurance athlete, and author Dr. Akil Taher to talk about a critical—but often overlooked—marker for cardiovascular risk: Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a).
Despite decades of research linking elevated Lp(a) to heart attacks, strokes, and aortic valve disease, fewer than 2% of Americans have ever been tested.
Dr. Taher shares his remarkable personal story—from heart disease and bypass surgery to becoming a marathoner and mountain climber in his 70s—and explains why understanding your Lp(a) level could be lifesaving.
They dive into:
- What Lp(a) actually is and why it's called the “evil cousin of LDL”
- Why genetics—not lifestyle—largely determine your Lp(a)
- Why many healthy people still suffer heart attacks
- The surprising link between Lp(a), inflammation, and blood clotting
- Who should absolutely get tested
- Why the nanomoles-per-liter test matters
- How lifestyle medicine and a whole-food plant-based diet still play a critical protective role
Dr. Taher’s message is simple but powerful:
Get tested. Know your number. Protect your heart.
Because what you don’t know can hurt you—but what you discover could save your life.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm Ray Besselston, and you're listening to the Plan Strong podcast. What if I told you that there's a |
| 0:07.9 | major risk factor for heart disease, one that affects one in five people worldwide, and most people |
| 0:15.2 | have never heard of it. And here's the kicker. It's genetic. It's not usually included in your standard cholesterol |
| 0:23.5 | panel, and for many people, it may be the missing link behind out of the blue heart attacks |
| 0:31.1 | and strokes, even in people who look perfectly healthy. Today, we're talking about L.P. Little A. That's lipoprotein, a little A. |
| 0:42.9 | And this is one of those episodes that could quite literally save your life or the life of somebody that you love. |
| 0:50.7 | My guest is Dr. Akeel Teher. He's a physician, heart disease survivor, and one of the most |
| 0:58.2 | passionate advocates that I know when it comes to raising awareness around this critical marker. |
| 1:04.7 | You may remember Akeel from a previous episode where he shared his amazing journey from |
| 1:10.4 | bypass surgery in his 60s to running |
| 1:13.9 | marathons, climbing mountains, and completely transforming his health through a whole food, |
| 1:20.2 | Planned Strong lifestyle. But today, we're going deeper. We're talking about what L.P. Little A actually is. Why, it's often called the |
| 1:32.2 | evil cousin of LDL. Who is at risk the most? Why most doctors aren't testing for it. And most |
| 1:42.1 | importantly, why you should really know this number. What you don't |
| 1:48.1 | know might hurt you, but what you learned today could be life-saving. Let's learn all about this |
| 1:54.6 | marker right after these words from Plant Strong. I've got an important update on our vital science event. This is our |
| 2:03.7 | educational conference for health care providers. We are moving the event to October 18th to the 20th, |
| 2:11.2 | and honestly, I am more excited than ever about what we're building here. As we've talked with |
| 2:17.3 | more health system leaders |
| 2:19.0 | and providers, it's become clear that there is a real hunger for this kind of a gathering, |
| 2:25.0 | specifically practical tools, real community, and a chance for providers to learn how to |
| 2:31.4 | apply this work, both personally and professionally. |
... |
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