Most people are taught to focus on cholesterol when they think about heart disease.

But what if cholesterol is only one small part of the story?

In this episode of The Inflammation Code Podcast, Dr. Shivani Gupta sits down with Dr. Philip C. Ovadia, a board-certified heart surgeon, founder of Ovadia Heart Health, host of The Stay Off My Operating Table Podcast, and author of Stay Off My Kitchen Table. After performing thousands of heart surgeries and reversing his own metabolic dysfunction, Dr. Ovadia now focuses on helping people prevent the very conditions that lead them to the operating table.

Together, they discuss what really drives heart disease risk, including insulin resistance, inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, nutrient absorption, gut health, and the importance of imaging like coronary artery calcium scans.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why heart disease can begin decades before symptoms appear

• Why cholesterol alone is not enough to predict heart disease risk

• How insulin resistance and inflammation contribute to cardiovascular disease

• Why women’s heart risk rises rapidly after menopause

• What a coronary artery calcium scan can reveal

• Why nutrient density and bioavailability matter for metabolic health

• How elimination diets may help identify foods that drive inflammation

This episode is for anyone who wants to understand heart disease prevention before it becomes urgent.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

The Inflammation Code

https://www.amazon.com/dp/140199699X?tag=usalinktagdefault-20&th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true