Friday, October 19, 2007

Cholesterol

LDL and HDL Cholesterol
There is always something new regarding how we're supposed to manage our cholesterol, so the subject really needs a section of its own.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle involves total lifestyle changes. Genetics play a big role in determining your risk for the development of stroke, diabetes and many other illnesses.

There's no question that high cholesterol levels contribute to cardiovascular disease. But each component of cholesterol has been closely studied.

We've been hearing more and more about how it's necessary to manage our LDL (bad) cholesterol levels . The newest guidelines state that your LDL cholesterol level needs to be less than 70, especially if you are at high risk - that is, if you have a family history of heart disease or have already experienced heart problems.

However, if your HDL (good) cholesterol levels are not high enough, it's "always bad" according to recent studies.

Exercise will raise your HDL cholesterol, but not by a lot. Sometimes you just have to take the medications prescribed to treat your cholesterol levels. A lot of people don't want to do this because of side effects.

One of the most frequently prescribed medications to raise HDL is Niacin. Many people develop "flushing" after they take Niacin. To prevent the flushing, your doctor probably will tell you to take an aspirin 30 minutes prior to taking your Niacin. Not many people want to keep adding medications - this is common feedback and I understand it from a patient perspective.

Your risk of heart attack is very real if your HDL is too low. If you know, you fall into this category, please discuss it with your doctor and explore your options.

Eat right, exercise, and learn to relax. If you smoke, consider a stop smoking program. Smoking cessation is one of the most effective measures you can take to get your HDL cholesterol levels higher. Sometimes cholesterol problems are simply hereditary, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't do everything you can to help yourself.

You should have a complete cholesterol profile from your doctor to best learn your risks. Investigate your personal risk factors. Prevention is the key to good health.


Helpful Links

All about Cholesterol
American Heart Association
Testing Kits
Cholesterol – EverydayHealth.com


Low LDL Cholesterol Linked to Cancer

Well, it seems that the old adage, "everything is a trade off" again rings true. It's been found that there is a definite link between low LDL (the bad) cholesterol and cancer.

The question arises as to whether the cardiovascular benefits of lower LDL levels outweigh this risk. Cholesterol lowering medication is called a statin.
"The statin trials have clearly shown that statin therapy, overall, reduces cardiovascular risk," said senior investigator Dr Richard Karas (Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA). "These findings don't change that. They're based on the same studies. But a component of that, perhaps one of the costs of that, is a relationship between the LDL lowering and cancer risk."

Dr. Karas has expressed concern that his statement might lead to medication noncompliance in patients who are taking cholesterol lowering drugs. He points out that research is still trying to understand the risk associated with lower LDL levels. In other words, it's not the medication causing Cancer and the blame isn't to be placed on the actual therapy itself. Does lowering LDL levels introduce or accelerate cancer? A "definite and linear relationship" between LDL and new onsets of cancer exists. The cancers found once LDL levels reached target had no common denominators; were not of a particular type or in the same place.

Dr. Karas admits the finding was a surprise. It wasn't one of the health issues being studied. Another interesting note is that several studies from the 1970's, before the widespread use of cholesterol medication, documented higher incidence of cancer in persons with low cholesterol levels, once again highlighting the need to find what the link is between low cholesterol and cancer.

The researchers were hesitant about publishing the findings over concerns that it could possibly do harm if people stopped taking their medications. In the end, all agreed it is just too important not to disclose. Investigation is ongoing.



J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007;50:409-422. ◦
Share/Bookmark