Name: ‘Genetic’ Cholesterol is High in Over 20 Percent of Americans: Leading Heart Doctor Seth Baum MD
Uploaded: 2026-07-09T05:20:56.000Z
Description: Heart attack is the leading cause of death in the United States. Death due to stroke ranks number five. Both are worst-case scenarios for someone with cardiovascular (or heart) disease, which is commonly caused by plaque buildup in the arteries, or atherosclerosis.

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Heart attack is the leading cause of death in the United States. Death due to stroke ranks number five. Both are worst-case scenarios for someone with cardiovascular (or heart) disease, which is commonly caused by plaque buildup in the arteries, or atherosclerosis.

The purpose of having our cholesterol tested is to gauge our atherosclerosis risk because certain cholesterol-carrying particles—like LDL, or ‘bad cholesterol’—lead to plaque formation.

But does the standard test of our LDL level give us a full picture of our heart disease risk? What about the danger posed by its related particles that can also cause plaques to form?

On Vital Signs with Brendon Fallon, cardiologist Dr. Seth Baum reveals a more reliable measure of cholesterol-related heart disease risk. He also highlights the cholesterol-carrying particle that is dangerously high in twenty percent or more of the population, yet commonly goes unchecked.

Dr. Baum is one of a handful of heart doctors in America who are board certified in clinical lipidology, which deals specifically with lipids like cholesterol and their effect on the body.

He joins Vital Signs to paint the broader picture of lipid-related heart disease risk and to highlight the advanced blood-filtering method he oversees in his practice in Boca Raton, Florida to manage that risk.

Dr. Baum is a clinical affiliate professor of medicine at Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine. He is also president of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology.

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Referenced studies/reports:

The Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly: Morbidity, Mortality, and Costs
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2797320/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2797320/</a>

Lipoprotein ratios: Physiological significance and clinical usefulness in cardiovascular prevention
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2747394/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2747394/</a>

LDL Particle Number and Risk of Future Cardiovascular Disease in the Framingham Offspring Study—Implications for LDL Management
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2720529/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2720529/</a>

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Further reading on ‘Good’ vs ‘Bad’ Cholesterol:

‘Bad’ Cholesterol May Not Be So Bad
<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/bad-cholesterol-may-not-be-so-bad-5400289">https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/bad-cholesterol-may-not-be-so-bad-5400289</a>

Cholesterol Particle Sizes: Why Do These Matter and How Do You Test?
<a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/cholesterol/cholesterol-particle-size-test#testing-options">https://www.healthline.com/health/cholesterol/cholesterol-particle-size-test#testing-options</a>
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Vital Signs’ host, guests, and contributors offer general information on improving health and wellness. This is not intended as diagnosis or medical advice. You should consult your medical doctor or holistic doctor before enacting any suggested strategies for health and wellness improvement, including those in relation to preventing or treating specific diseases featured on this program.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of NTD.

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