 Does
elevated LDL cholesterol spell doom?
Yearly lipid testing at
your physician's office returns you a mixed report;
Total cholesterol,
triglycerides, and then the good HDL and the bad LDL. When
you hear those words bad
cholesterol you get a shiver of doom. You also
often get thrown on a cholesterol lowering drug from the
class referred to as statins. You are
told this is because either your total cholesterol or triglycerides
are elevated, or the bad boy, LDL is elevated.
What you aren't told is that LDL per se isn't a bad
hombre, but its offspring "small dense particle
LDL" is. So why doesn't your
physician tell you about your dense particle LDL?
Because the standard Lipid panel doesn't test for
it, as a VAP Lipid panel does. A VAP is
a better test for lipid profiles, measuring LDL
Pattern Density,"
LP(a)(also known as the "widow maker") IDL,
HDL-2, HDL-3, and VLDL-3. It fractionates the LDL
particles into "small dense" and "large
fluffy". The
"dense" LDL particles are the bad boys.
If you have a higher percentage of
"large" LDL particles, then this puts a total
LDL elevation into better perspective as it relates to
the need for therapy. What is
more interesting is that there is not a single drug out
there that changes LDL particle size.
What you need to address is the inflammation that
occurs in the arteries. Because small
dense LDL particles can sneak between the cells in the
artery's endothelial lining, they get stuck,
inflammation oxidizes then, and atherosclerosis ensues.
So who is a candidate for
inflammation? The patient with insulin
and/or leptin resistance from poor dietary choices. (and
they are all choices). What else
is known about patients with insulin and/or leptin
resistance? They have difficulty with
fat metabolism. They have dysfunctional
fat burning abilities that are reflected in high triglycerides.
High triglycerides are the other component to your
yearly Lipid panel. Elevations in
triglycerides
are far more ominous than elevations in cholesterol.
Take home points:
- Inflammation
causes cardiovascular disease, not cholesterol
- Traditional testing of
LDL cholesterol (often referred to as the "bad
cholesterol") gives an incomplete picture
- LDL comes in "small
dense particles" and "large fluffy
particles"
- Small Dense LDL is bad
- Large Fluffy LDL is better
- Only a VAP Lipid
profile with give your particle size.
- Have your physician
order hs Cardiac C-Reactive Protein to see
inflammatory status
- The
Good-HDL
- The
Bad-Small LDL
- The
not so bad-Large LDL
- The
Ugly-Elevated Triglycerides and Lipoprotein a = LP(a)
A natural approach
:
1-Eat fewer grains.
These have lectins that cause inflammation.
2-Eat fewer refined
carbohydrates
3-Take 3000-4000 mg
high quality Omega 3 fish oil a day
4-Policosanol from
sugar-cane *
5-CoQ10 Supplementation
* Consult
your healthcare provider if you are taking any
prescription or over-the-counter medications before use as
policosanol and fish oil may alter blood viscosity and
medication levels. The addition of natural
supplements to persons on blood thinners or anti-platelet
medications needs to be done under direct supervision of
your primary care provider.
Lipid lowering medications have no effect on LP(a).
Studies suggest physician directed treatment with
aspirin and niacin.
|
