I'm sorry...a cardiothoracic surgeon JUST came to this realization? He needs to speak to a cardiologist before regurgitating this information that they already know.
I've talked to cardiologists and been taught that there is a correlation with elevated LDL and the risk of Heart Disease. That's almost an undeniable fact considering the pathophysiology of the elevated LDL (LDL particles in the vessels causing the inflammatory reaction). That and familial hyperlipidemia with elevated LDL...basically causes Heart Disease.
I dunno... My only distaste is that he's trying to say that we know 100% what causes it, when we don't. We've never been able to conclusively state that fat/whatever diets are definitively involved...But that they are risk factors.