David Kritchevsky, one of the first scientists to study the link between cholesterol, cardiovascular risk, and cancer, died on November 20. He was 86.In 1958, Kritchevsky published the first book on cholesterol which "was and still in a lot of ways is the bible about what we understand about the cholesterol," Jon Story of Purdue University, who worked with Kritchevsky as a post-doc at The Wistar Institute, told The Scientist.While many researchers solely study the effect of one chemical, such as cholesterol, on atherosclerosis, ignoring how nutrient levels interact, said Story, Kritchevsky did not take a piecemeal approach: For example, in 1977, he reported that animal and vegetable proteins have different effects on atherosclerosis in rabbits based on which kind of fiber is in the diet.Kritchevsky didn't stop at the rabbits, however, and reminded others to not "go down esoteric rabbit trails of scientific endeavor and forget the...

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