High Cholesterol. Are You Really At Risk for Heart Disease?

You go to the doctor and have your bloodwork done. It comes back informing you that your cholesterol is high and immediately a prescription is written out for a statin drug by your doctor. Wait a minute! High cholesterol in and of itself is not a sole marker for heart disease.

Did you know that the particle size of your LDL is a more important and specific predictor? The smaller your particle size, the greater your risk of heart disease. You can have high cholesterol and large particle LDL and your risk is very low for heart disease with other normal range factors such as blood pressure, triglycerides, inflammatory markers etc.  

Calculate your target LDL baseline number here, and when you get your blood test, ask your doc to refer you to an area lab offering advanced lipid-profile testing. Why on earth take expensive drugs with side effects if your risk is low? http://aristos.com/ldl-target.php. 

The information below was taken from an NBC article for more information.

" LDL-S3 GGE test

Proteins from your blood are spread across a gel palette. As the molecules move from one end to the other, the gel becomes progressively denser. Large particles of LDL cholesterol can't travel as far as the small, dense particles can, Dr. Ziajka says. After staining the gel, scientists determine the average size of your LDL cholesterol particles. (Berkeley HeartLab, bhlinc.com, about $15 with insurance)

2. The VAP test

Your sample is mixed into a solution designed to separate lipoproteins by density. "The proteins in your blood have to find their equilibrium," says Dr. Ziajka. "Small, dense particles sink, and large, fluffy particles stay at the top." The liquid is stained and then analyzed to reveal 21 different lipoprotein subfractions, including dominant LDL size. (Atherotech, thevaptest.com, direct cost $40)

3. NMR lipoprofile test

Inside a magnetic field, radio waves charge the lipids in your blood. When the magnetic field is turned off, the protons give off energy, and that energy can be captured. Because energy emissions vary by particle size, this can be used to determine the type of LDL coursing through your veins. (LipoScience, lipoprofile.com, $100)"

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