Knife Down
"Knife Down" is what a surgeon says in the OR when she puts her scalpel down so no one gets hurt — and it’s the mission here: put the knife down, long before anyone needs to use it.
Knife Down is a podcast about how to actually invest in your health so you can live longer, stronger, and with less time in doctors’ offices. The core focus is the world’s leading cause of death—cardiovascular disease—and what to do about it before it shows up as a catastrophe.
Hosted by a vascular surgeon on a mission to put herself out of business, the show translates cutting-edge science on prevention, metabolic health, and longevity into real-world strategies you can use in clinic or at your kitchen table. Expect evidence, nuance, and zero wellness hype—plus the occasional dark joke about the state of modern medicine.
Knife Down
HIIT vs Heart Plaque: Randomized Trial Deep Dive
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this research report deep dive, I walk through a randomized trial that asked a very specific, very modern question: can high-intensity interval training (HIIT) measurably change coronary atherosclerotic plaque—not just your VO₂ max?
We go line-by-line through the paper: who they enrolled, what the HIIT protocol actually was, how they measured plaque (and plaque type), what outcomes moved, what didn’t, and the limitations that matter before you turn “exercise is medicine” into a personality.
Also: this is ~40 minutes of dense research nerdery. So if you’re here for quick answers, you took a wrong turn. If you’re here for receipts, welcome.
Citation: Vesterbekkmo EK, Aksetøy I-LA, Follestad T, Nilsen HO, Hegbom K, Wisløff U, Wiseth R, Madssen E. High-intensity interval training induces beneficial effects on coronary atheromatous plaques: a randomized trial. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2023;30:384–392. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwac309
Link: https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/article/30/5/384/6958432
(Not medical advice. Educational only. Don’t watch this and decide to “fix your plaque” by running a marathon tomorrow—talk to your clinician first. I’d like you alive for the follow-up.)
Sign up for more information on my own practice here: https://corsighthealth.com/
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🧬 About Dr. Lily Johnston
Dr. Johnston is a double board-certified vascular and general surgeon in San Diego, specializing in metabolic and cardiovascular prevention. She’s the founder of CorSight Health and a passionate advocate for reimagining how medicine approaches chronic disease.
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