Latest Lipid Panel Test Results!!!

[tchrmgr]

I got some great feedback from Fran (?) back in February of '07 but need some advice again. My latest lipid panel shows Triglycerides of 142, HDL: 45; LDL: 190; total Cholesterol: 263.

My doctor isn't happy but I had been on Lipitor and Prevochol in the past and had horrible reactions to both of these medications (muscle pain in arms and legs) and went off of them. Now what?

Thanks for any advice and/or information you might offer.

[Brian C.]

Total cholsterol < 300 is in the normal range (i.e. < 3 standard deviations from the mean).

Don't worry about it.
Think quality, not quantity.

Brian.

[tchrmgr]

Thanks, Brian. What do you mean by quality? Are you referring to the fact that my HDL is 45 and my Trig. are <150?

I'm taking a baby aspirin a day, cinnamon capsules, Co-Q 10, and fish oil capsules. I think I've managed to reduce my total chol to the current level of 263 (it had been 300) because of this regimen.

Not sure of proper dosage for any of these supplements, though. I am a 56 y/o female, 5 ft. 1 in tall, about 40 lbs. overweight. I'm not a vegetarian but I do try to limit meat/poultry and only used fat free dairy products. (Elevated cholesterol seems to be a strong genetic marker in my family).

Thanks for your feedback!

[Brian C.]

[quote="tchrmgr"]Thanks, Brian. What do you mean by quality? Are you referring to the fact that my HDL is 45 and my Trig. are <150?

I'm taking a baby aspirin a day, cinnamon capsules, Co-Q 10, and fish oil capsules. I think I've managed to reduce my total chol to the current level of 263 (it had been 300) because of this regimen.

Not sure of proper dosage for any of these supplements, though. I am a 56 y/o female, 5 ft. 1 in tall, about 40 lbs. overweight. I'm not a vegetarian but I do try to limit meat/poultry and only used fat free dairy products. (Elevated cholesterol seems to be a strong genetic marker in my family).

Thanks for your feedback![/quote]

By quality I mean unoxidised. I too "suffer" from an hereditary high cholesterol condition and I have had to learn to ignore doctors' scare stories. A high serum cholesterol level is not a death sentence, in fact as we get older it puts us at an advantage in the mortality stakes.

CoQ10 and fish-oil are good but I stopped taking cinnammon as a supplement when I learned here that it is essentially a statin.

The low-fat diet is NOT a healthy diet for the heart or any other part of the body. After struggling on the statin + low-fat diet regime for 18 years I had become like an old man (I'm 63). Thanks to this forum I was able to find out the truth and now enjoy a statin-free existence (off 7 months now) and lots of delicious eggs (I fry them in palm oil), butter, meat and cheese. What IS an unhealthy diet is one heavily loaded with carbohydrates, a healthy one is one loaded with protein and fats - but these must be natural, not processed in any way (i.e. not exposed to heat, hydrogen or prolonged exposure to air).

Lots for you to read in the archives here tchrmgr and I most heartily recommend the book "The Great Cholesterol Con" by Dr Malcolm Kendrick.

I can also recommend a regular reading of Dr Eades' blog at

*http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/

Your health is much too precious to entrust to anyone but yourself.

Very best wishes for your "voyage of discovery"

Brian.

[adec]

Hi tchrmgr. I believe Fran would say, you can't do your job until your doctor does his.

Firstly, having large, light and fluffy particles is most paramount, this is true of both HDL and LDL. These larger particles are particularly buoyant in the blood stream. Many doctors don't understand it's actually the smaller/denser remnant particles which are particularly bad.

Next, HDL is a supremely important factor, the higher the better. And finally, it would be a great idea to get your Triglycerides better in check. Otherwise, Brian's correct, those numbers look as though you're on the right track. Now let's help you get there completely.

=======================================================================
I would have your doctor test you for these predictive risk factors. Total Cholesterol and LDL tell us absolutely ZERO about your health. However, there are now many labs which will run these tests:

+VLDL-C (Very Low Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol) < 30 mg/dL
+VLDL1+2 (Large Buoyant, Better) < 20 mg/dL
+HDL2 (Largest, Most Protective HDL) > 15 mg/dL
+IDL (Intermediate Density Lipoprotein) < 30 mg/dL
+Lp(a) Cholesterol (Lipoprotein-a) <10 mg/dL
+ hs-CRP (High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein) <1.0 mg/L
+ Homocysteine < 11.4 umol/L
+ Triglycerides < 150 mg/dL
+ Blood Sugar and Glucose fasting levels < 99 mg/dL normal, < 100-125 mg/dL pre-diabetic, >126 mg/dL diabetic

=========================================================================
I would highly suggest astaxanthin to safely raise HDL, increase overall particle size, and decrease LDL and Triglycerides. This is the supreme paradox of maintaining a healthy lipid profile. I also really like Sytrinol for safely increasing particle size, and lowering Triglycerides, and yes again, those doctor's favorite numbers: Total Cholesterol and LDL. These two supplements alone would be a huge first step.

Fish oil, vitamin C, cinnamon, and even low dose niacin would have a positive effect on particle size, as would diet and exercise. Switching over to a healthy white whole wheat bread would have a positive effect on Triglycerides. Something like Stroehmann Soft & Tasty has actually tested better in my house than ordinary white bread. Simply eating more balanced meals with vegetables and fruits is important. Mix up those heavy carb-laden meals with more proteins, especially lean chicken and fish... Brian is SO correct here. Of course, read those labels carefully, avoid ALL trans-fats, and anything labeled hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated.

I just ask that you report back and let us know your progress. This could be of great assistance to many people here. Good luck.

[tchrmgr]

Thank you, both! I shall, indeed, recommend my doctor run more tests and report back with the findings. I am grateful for your prompt and in- depth responses to my queries.

Best regards!

[Biologist]

tchrmgr,

Sounds like you got some good advice with the exception of taking cinnamon. Cinnamon is a statin.

Biologist

[Linda W]

Whenever I see a post with concern about cholestrol numbers I think about my old friend's mother. She had a total cholestrol of over 400 (God forbid) and she took some nitroglycerin for heart troubles. She was 92 at the time and pretty spunky! If she had come along during the current era of pill pushing who knows if she would have enjoyed such good health into her 90's.

LW

[tchrmgr]

Okay, so I went back to my doctor (HMO!!!) armed with all the info you good people have given me. So now she wants to put me on Zetia. I've looked it up on the internet and don't like what I see. What are your thoughts. Happy and Healthy New Year to all!

[adec]

Hi tchrmgr, and Happy New Year to you, and everyone reading this, as well!

I would personally stick with astaxanthin: increases HDL and particle size, and decreases oxidized LDL. Astaxanthin is also the greatest known carotenoid protector against singlet oxygen. Singlet oxygen is the most reactive and oxidative toward not only lipids, but proteins and DNA. Reducing this reactive oxidation is strongly associated with a decrease in cardiovascular events. Neither statins nor Zetia demonstrate such a superiority, and they also come with the potential for serious damage and harm... as you already seem to know. :)

And yet another article for your doctor to peruse....


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Data About Zetia Risks Was Not Fully Revealed
New York Times
By ALEX BERENSON
Published: December 21, 2007


New evidence shows that the drug makers Merck and Schering-Plough have conducted several studies of their popular cholesterol medicine Zetia that raise questions about its risks to the liver, but the companies have never published those results.

Partial results of the studies, alluded to in documents on the Food and Drug Administration’s Web site, raise questions about whether Zetia can cause liver damage when used long term with other cholesterol drugs called statins.

Most of the millions of people who use Zetia take it along with a statin like Lipitor, Crestor or Zocor. Or they take it in a single pill, Vytorin, that combines Zetia with Zocor.

The discovery of the unpublished research comes as Merck and Schering are already under criticism for not yet releasing data from an important Zetia study, called Enhance, that they completed early last year.

The Enhance data may also contain important information about Zetia’s liver risks. At least some patients were dropped from the Enhance study after testing revealed that they had elevated liver enzymes, a Schering-Plough spokesman confirmed this week.

But a full report on that trial, including the number of patients who had liver problems, will not be available until March.

Doctors say that by failing to disclose promptly all their research, Merck and Schering-Plough may be leaving the public with a misleadingly favorable view of Zetia’s safety and benefits.

“You don’t want to have data missing,” said Dr. Bruce Psaty, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Washington. “When there have been adverse effects, when the benefits don’t look impressive, those are the trials that historically don’t make it to press.”

The entire article can be found here.
*http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/business/21drug.html

Good luck

[JL]

I am afraid that tchrmgr is being led down the wrong path by a few of you, yes?
First of all, our cells must have cholesterol in order to function.
Cholesterol is NOT a bad thing to have. The body makes cholesterol for very good reasons.Even LDL cholesterol protects our immune system.
What we should be advising tchrmgr to do is NOT WORRY ABOUT HER CHOLESTEROL but rather take the supplements that will lessen any inflammation that MIGHT be occuring in her blood vessels because when the blood vessels are inflammed, that is when the body goes to work to patch up the lesions with cholesterol mainly, Lp(a), the sticky cholesterol.
So for starters, read this,
*http://www.thecureforheartdisease.com/
then follow the protocol,
*http://www.thecureforheartdisease.com/protocol.htm
and never take everything that your doctor is telling you as the TRUTH, as they are misguided by the drug companies. Remember, even folks with normal cholesterol levels still get heart attacks because the plaque blocking the arteries is made mostly from CALCIUM and not cholesterol. Vitamin K is what will remove the calcium from the vessels and store it in the bones where they belong.

[JL]

*http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron44.htm

[JL]

*http://www.knowledgeofhealth.com/blog/2007/12/evidence-continues-to-point-away-from.html

[Biologist]

Thanks, JL.

The first hyperlink from right above (http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron44.htm) I have sent around to some people. Hits hard.

The last one was more than interesting too.

Biologist

[JL]

*http://www.newstarget.com/022398.html

[tchrmgr]

MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO REPONDED TO MY MOST RECENT POST. I SHALL READ ALL OF THE ARTICLES YOU HAVE REFERENCED WITH GREAT INTEREST.

HOWEVER, AS I AM BUT A HUMBLE TEACHER OF ENGLISH LITERATURE AND NOT WELL-VERSED IN THE SCIENCES (ESP. HUMAN BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY), I FEAR THE INFORMATION YOU AND YOUR REFERENCED ARTICLES PROVIDE WILL ONLY CONFUSE ME FURTHER. TO WIT, ADEC, CAN YOU EXPLAIN astaxanthin?

I REMAIN UNDAUNTED, NONETHELESS, BECAUSE I, LIKE MANY OF YOU, TRUST NEITHER MY DOCTOR NOR THE PHARMACEUTICAL ESTABLISHMENT!

A HAPPY AND HEALTHFUL NEW YEAR TO ALL!

[adec]

*http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2000_05.htm

Astaxanthin is classified as a carotenoid, the family of over 700 pigments
that includes beta-carotene, canthaxanthin and lutein. Although widely found
in nature, it is only recently that its health promoting characteristics
have been researched. Studies have demonstrated the ability of astaxanthin
to enhance energy metabolism and immune function, increase HDL levels,
protect against chemically induced cancers, reduce macular degenertion and
protect against sunburn. Even more astounding is astaxanthin's antioxidant
capability, ten times that of beta-carotene, xeaxanthin, lutein and
canthaxanthin, and up to 550 times that of vitamin E! It is able to quench
singlet oxygen as well as scavenge free radicals. Its effectiveness is
better expressed in the lower oxygen concentrations found in tissues than
higher levels associated with in vitro conditions.

One of the challenges associated with eye nutrition is the body's limited
ability to deliver nutrients to the proper areas in the eye. Unlike
beta-carotene, astaxanthin can cross the blood-brain barrier to offer
protection to the retina of the eye against oxidation caused by sunlight.
Injury caused by light is the primary cause of macular degeneration, a
disease that results in a loss of photoreceptor cells. Astaxanthin does not
have the drawback of the possibility of crystallization in the retina
associated with another carotenoid, canthaxanthin. It also protects the
retina against free radical damage.

Astaxanthin aided in protecting mice from the development of cancer
resulting from carcinogens such as benzopyrene, azoxymethane and aflatoxin.
Scientists speculate that its anticancer effect is due its antioxidant
ability and its antiproliferative effect on areas exposed to the carcinogen.
It may also work by its enhancement of immune function. Astaxanthin has a
significant effect on antibody production when the body is presented with
antigens.