Dr. Daniel Chong · Vital Human
“Heart disease and menopause are more linked than most realize. Learn the early warning signs, lab tests, and daily habits that protect your heart.”
A practical starting point
What You’ll Take Away
Heart health is easier to act on when risk, context, and next questions are visible in the same conversation.
Learn which risk factors and family-history details are relevant to discuss with your clinician.
Ask what a result means for you, not just whether it falls inside a reference range.
Turn one appointment into a plan for what to monitor and when to follow up.
Try This
Gather your family history and current medications before your next check-in.
Meet Dr. Daniel Chong
Dr. Daniel Chong is a licensed naturopathic physician with over two decades of experience specializing in preventing and reversing cardiovascular disease through drug-free strategies. He earned his doctorate from the National University of Natural Medicine in 2000 and defines himself as a "nutritional angiologist" — a practitioner who works at the intersection of nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and arterial health.
Dr. Chong holds advanced certifications in cardiometabolic medicine and the Bale-Doneen Method for heart attack prevention, one of the most evidence-based approaches to identifying and reducing cardiovascular risk before a crisis occurs. His clinical focus is not on managing symptoms after the fact but on understanding — and interrupting — the biological conditions that allow heart disease to develop in the first place.
He sees patients through Vital Human, his telehealth practice, and at his Portland, Oregon clinic. His approach combines advanced lab assessment, arterial imaging, nutritional therapy, and movement with individualized lifestyle strategies designed to optimize long-term vascular health.
Connect
In This Episode
Heart Disease Is the #1 Killer of Women — and Menopause Accelerates the Risk: Most women are never told that heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined. Dr. Chong explains that plaque buildup can begin decades before midlife — the reason it surfaces then is simply because that's when doctors finally start looking
How Long Lipids Have Been Elevated Matters as Much as How High They Are: A single high LDL reading doesn't tell the full story. Lipidologists now understand that the duration of elevated lipid levels — not just the number itself — is one of the strongest predictors of future heart attacks and strokes
Why Menopause (and Andropause) Change Your Cardiovascular Profile: As estrogen declines, cholesterol and triglyceride levels can spike sharply within just a few years. Dr. Chong breaks down what's happening hormonally for both women and men — and why this specific midlife window deserves dedicated, proactive attention
What a Thorough Cardiovascular Workup Actually Looks Like: Rather than reacting to a single elevated test, Dr. Chong looks at the complete lipid panel, HDL and triglyceride ratios, family history, and — when appropriate — arterial imaging. He cautions against prescribing medication based on one data point without deeper context
The Surprising Link Between Dental Health and Heart Disease: Gum disease and periodontal disease are major, underappreciated cardiovascular risk factors. Certain harsh mouthwashes can also disrupt the oral bacteria needed to produce nitric oxide — a compound critical to keeping artery linings healthy
The Diet and Movement Patterns That Actually Protect Your Heart: Dr. Chong emphasizes what to add rather than only what to eliminate — dark leafy greens, berries, garlic, and onions, eaten consistently. He also highlights non-exercise movement throughout the day, not just a scheduled workout, as one of the most protective daily habits available
Chapters
- 00:32
The #1 Cause of Death for Women Nobody Talks About
- 02:14
Meet Dr. Daniel Chong: Cardiovascular Expert
- 04:17
Why Heart Disease Risk Rises in Midlife
- 06:02
When Should You Start Checking Your Cholesterol?
- 09:02
How Long Elevated Lipids Matter More Than the Number
- 11:44
The Hormone Mistake Most People Make
- 17:21
What to Actually Ask Your Doctor
- 18:42
Why One Lipid Panel Isn't Enough for a Diagnosis
- 24:05
The Surprising Link Between Dental Health and Heart Disease
- 28:37
The Diet Pattern That Actually Protects Your Heart
- 37:17
One Change to Make This Week
Inspirational Quotes
“Heart disease is a huge concern for women after menopause and for men in their second half of life as well, and it's often not detected until it's too late. It's not something people necessarily notice or are tracking, or they're just surprised by the changes that happen in their labs, and that can be really scary.”
— Dr. Daniel Chong
“It becomes an issue in middle age because that's when they start looking, not because that's when it starts.”
— Dr. Daniel Chong
“It's still heavily dependent on family history. But at the same time, in lipidology, they're talking about risk being so heavily influenced by how high for how long the lipids are specifically… a huge impact on the potential for future heart attacks and strokes is literally how long the levels have been elevated.”
— Dr. Daniel Chong
“What you can't ever do is rely on how you feel, because the vascular system is incredibly adaptive and responsive and resilient, so it'll kind of keep functioning and keep going.”
— Dr. Daniel Chong
“This isn't just getting older. It's a specific window where cardiovascular risk shifts for both men and women, and almost nobody is told to pay attention to it.”
— Justine Reichman
“The other thing that doesn't come up super often but is crucial is dental health. So getting regular dental cleanings, making sure you don't have gingivitis, periodontal disease — those are actually major risk factors for cardiovascular health.”
— Dr. Daniel Chong
“There's a lot of focus on what not to eat, and not enough focus on what to eat… Dark leafy green vegetables, berries, onions, garlic — those are, in my opinion, some of the most important foods to make sure a person is including on a regular, ideally daily basis.”
— Dr. Daniel Chong
“Every time you eat, you have an opportunity to either help yourself or harm yourself.”
— Dr. Daniel Chong
“The most important thing is not how much protein you're eating; it's how much work you're doing, and how much you are actually in the gym trying to build muscle.”
— Dr. Daniel Chong
Resources
Join The PrimesShare This Episode
Enjoyed this conversation? Share it and tag @nextgenpurpose
Listen on Apple ▶Listen on Spotify ▶Your Host
Justine Reichman
Founder & CEO of NextGen Purpose. Host and Executive Producer of Essential Ingredients — 11 seasons, 332 episodes, and a growing movement.
About Justine →
