Is High Cholesterol The Only Issue? - High Cholesterol Message Board

highlp · 02-14-2007, 11:19 AM

I am a healthy 53 year old male.

Here are my latest cholesterol numbers:

Total Cholesterol - 332
LDL - 277
HDL -64
Tri - 81
LP(a) - 197 (normal is 30)

As you can see a lot to be concerned about and these are what my numbers are most of the time. Basically I am a cholesterol producing machine.

Now for the good news:

I exercise regularly, follow a sensible diet, and take a few supplements - fish oil, vit C, vit E, COQ-10.

Instead of going the statin route I monitor myself via other tests, ie:

Heart Scan (calcium scoring) - Perfect Score - 0 - No Plaque
Thallium Stress - Perfect
Cardio Angiography - Perfect Score - No hard or soft plaque
CRP - negative
LDL Particle Size - Type A - large particles

For those of you that are worried about your numbers it appears based on my history that cholesterol is not the only factor but one of a number of factors to consider.

Lulubells · 02-14-2007, 12:21 PM

I think the heart/cholesterol thing is all hype to sell harmful drugs to unsuspecting healthy people.

My Grandmother ate a bowl of bacon grease EVERY morning with a biscuit dripping in butter. Butter was added to everything she cooked and everything was fried in hog lard. Finding cakes and pies at Grandma's was the norm in those days. She lived to the ripe old age of 91 and Grand Dad lived to 85.. Neither had heart problems.

My own Mom (a smoker) had high cholesterol (365) for years before she died of cancer at 81. She never had a sign of heart disease.

I no longer buy into all that cholesterol propaganda after seeing what the lower numbers did to my health and body and thinking back on my family history. EVERY cell in our bodies need cholesterol and I think one day all this will come out and blow things wide open for the scam it is.

(This is MY opinion based on what I am learning about it)

Lenin · 02-15-2007, 07:08 AM

highlp,

Your overall blood lipid is truly horrible, and the worst is the Lp(a)...I thought mine was the highest on record. What you have going for you are excellent triglycerides and HDL.

I am glad your tests showed no arterial blockages. I hope that continues for you.

highlp · 02-16-2007, 11:30 AM

Since my lp(a) is so high, I have done quite a bit of research on lp(a) and have found out the following:

1) It appears that the reference range of what is considered high needs to be adjusted higher, although the labs haven't changed their reference range values yet.

2) Since it cannot be treated with medications and they are not sure of its implications (must studies are split 50/50 between problem and not a problem) most people don't test for it.

3) Although niacin does reduce it (approx. 30%), the doses needed of 2-3 grams per day cannot be tolerated well. Apparently you only get the benefit with regular release Niacin (not slow release).

4) Interestingly enough, if I drop my fat intake my lp(a) goes up higher. Almost like my body adjusts somehow.

I also know a few people whose lp(a) is over 300. Some have issues and some don't.

NHone · 02-16-2007, 10:09 PM

L(p)a can be treated with fish oil.