SAMA HOOLE: But the cholesterol hypothesis needed a villain. Just saying "cholesterol" wasn't working because cholesterol is essential for life. Solution: Rebrand LDL as "bad cholesterol" and HDL as "good cholesterol." This is marketing, not science.

Before 1980: Cholesterol was just cholesterol. Doctors measured total cholesterol.

1980s: Researchers discover LDL and HDL particles that transport cholesterol.

LDL takes cholesterol to tissues. HDL brings it back to liver. Both are essential transport mechanisms.

But the…

— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) December 9, 2025

Before 1980: Cholesterol was just cholesterol. Doctors measured total cholesterol. 1980s: Researchers discover LDL and HDL particles that transport cholesterol. LDL takes cholesterol to tissues. HDL brings it back to liver. Both are essential transport mechanisms. But the cholesterol hypothesis needed a villain. Just saying "cholesterol" wasn't working because cholesterol is essential for life. Solution: Rebrand LDL as "bad cholesterol" and HDL as "good cholesterol." This is marketing, not science. LDL isn't bad. It's a transport vehicle your body requires for delivering cholesterol to cells that need it for membranes, hormones, and repair. But "bad cholesterol" sounds dangerous. It gave the hypothesis a villain that people could understand. The media ran with it: "Bad cholesterol clogs arteries!" "Lower your bad cholesterol!" "Good cholesterol protects you!" Simple narrative. Memorable. Wrong. What actually matters isn't LDL level. It's: - LDL particle size (small dense particles are concerning, large fluffy are benign) - Oxidation status (oxidized LDL causes inflammation, native LDL doesn't) - Inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6) - Triglyceride/HDL ratio (better predictor than LDL) But explaining that requires nuance. "Bad cholesterol" requires no nuance. The rebrand was so successful that doctors still say "bad cholesterol" and patients understand it as inherently harmful. Half of heart attack patients have normal LDL. Half of people with high LDL never have heart attacks. If LDL was actually "bad" and caused heart disease, this wouldn't be true. But once you've branded something "bad," evidence doesn't matter. The label sticks. "Bad cholesterol" is marketing language that became medical terminology. Your body doesn't have "bad cholesterol." It has LDL particles performing essential transport functions. Calling them "bad" is like calling delivery trucks "bad" because sometimes they're involved in accidents. The truck isn't the problem. What it's carrying and how it's driving matter.

But "bad truck" sells more fear than "check your particle size and oxidation status." 

SAMA HOOLE: Your choice: temporary discomfort leading to health, or permanent comfort leading to decline.

https://t.co/izKLTElItA

— Plompy (@PlompyPlomp) December 9, 2025

You start carnivore. Week 2 hits. Suddenly: Joint pain you didn't have before Rashes appearing Digestion is chaos Energy is terrible Sleep is disrupted You panic. "Carnivore is making me sick!" Actually, carnivore is revealing how sick you already were. Oxalate dumping: You've been eating spinach, almonds, sweet potatoes, and chocolate for years. Oxalates accumulate in tissues because your body can't process them fast enough. Remove plant foods → oxalates start releasing from storage → temporary symptoms as your body expels them. This can take weeks to months depending on how much you accumulated. Fat-stored toxins: You start burning body fat. That fat has been storing pesticides, seed oil metabolites, and environmental toxins for years. Burn the fat → toxins release into bloodstream → temporary increase in symptoms until they're eliminated. Your body is literally detoxing. This is healing, not harm. The alternative: Keep eating plants, keep storing toxins, never feel the temporary discomfort, and just... stay sick permanently with vague symptoms you accept as normal. Or: Push through 2-8 weeks of detox symptoms and come out the other side actually healthy. Your choice: temporary discomfort leading to health, or permanent comfort leading to decline. Most people choose the latter and wonder why they never get better.

SAMA HOOLE: guess which one has the cancer warning label? The bacon. With 50x LESS nitrates.

Nitrate comparison time:

Bacon (per serving): 5mg nitrates
Spinach (per serving): 250mg nitrates
Arugula (per serving): 250mg nitrates
Celery (per serving): 150mg nitrates
Beetroot (per serving): 110mg nitrates

Guess which one has the cancer warning label.

Not the vegetables…

— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) December 9, 2025

Nitrate comparison time: Bacon (per serving): 5mg nitrates Spinach (per serving): 250mg nitrates Arugula (per serving): 250mg nitrates Celery (per serving): 150mg nitrates Beetroot (per serving): 110mg nitrates Guess which one has the cancer warning label. Not the vegetables that health influencers blend into smoothies. The bacon. With 50x LESS nitrates. Your body produces 60-80mg nitrates daily. In your mouth and gut. Naturally. But 5mg in bacon is apparently carcinogenic while 250mg in spinach is a superfood. Same molecule. Different marketing budget. Processed meat gets the WHO warning. Vegetables get the health halo. Not because of science. Because bacon threatens grain industry market share and vegetables don't. Follow the money. Always.

SAMA HOOLE: Every time: Traditional high saturated fat = healthy. Modern "healthy" diet = disease. At what point do we admit the pattern is clear? Answer: Never. Because admitting it means admitting 70 years of error.

2000s-2010s: Researchers study Mongolian herdsmen.

Diet: Mutton, dairy (yogurt, cheese, butter tea), fermented mare's milk.

Estimated 60-70% of calories from animal fat. Mostly saturated.

Very little vegetables. Almost no processed food.

According to saturated fat hypothesis:… pic.twitter.com/gdzrQT6qyI

— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) December 7, 2025

2000s-2010s: Researchers study Mongolian herdsmen. Diet: Mutton, dairy (yogurt, cheese, butter tea), fermented mare's milk. Estimated 60-70% of calories from animal fat. Mostly saturated. Very little vegetables. Almost no processed food. According to saturated fat hypothesis: Should have catastrophic cardiovascular disease. Reality: - Low cardiovascular disease rates despite high cholesterol - Good metabolic health - Low diabetes - Robust physical condition into old age Researchers: "This is surprising given their high saturated fat intake." Translation: "Our hypothesis predicts they should be dead, but they're thriving." When Mongolian herdsmen move to cities and adopt modern diet: - Cardiovascular disease increases - Diabetes appears - Obesity emerges Same genetics. Different diet. Different outcomes. Traditional high-fat diet: Healthy. Modern low-fat processed diet: Diseased. This pattern has been observed in: Maasai → City migration Inuit → Southern migration Aboriginal → Colonization Mongolian → Urbanization Every time: Traditional high saturated fat = healthy. Modern "healthy" diet = disease. At what point do we admit the pattern is clear? Answer: Never. Because admitting it means admitting 70 years of error. So each population is studied, the pattern is observed, it's called "interesting," and then filed away. The Mongolian herdsmen prove the hypothesis wrong. Along with the Maasai, Inuit, Kitavans, Aboriginal, Tokelauans, and traditional populations globally. But one more study that disproves the hypothesis just gets added to the pile.

SAMA HOOLE: Eat lean cuts of meat . . . and you'll also get--worse digestion, lower nutrient absorption, no flavour, less energy, and perpetual hunger

This is the state of fitness nutrition in 2025.

"Eat lean cuts of meat and throw away the yolks so you can get plenty of protein for fewer calories!"

And you'll also get:

- Worse digestion
- Lower nutrient absorption
- No flavour
- Less energy
- Perpetual hunger

These aren't… pic.twitter.com/VLF1jHCibF

— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) December 8, 2025