My understanding is that the most important ratio regarding mortality/MI outcomes, as found and confirmed by the late Dr. Atkins, is Trigs / HDL. If that ratio is > 10:1, you better do something about it ASAP, mostly by lowering your Trigs since drugs/supplements only have slight impacts on HDL levels. Pfizer would have had the blockbuster of all time had their HDL drug Torcetrapib made it through the trials. It's appearing more and more that LDL is only the building block of arterial sclerosis (the VLDL/LDL ratio determining the "quality" of that material) but Trigs (positively correlated) and HDLs (negatively correlated) play a much stronger intermediary role. That is, if your Trigs are naturally low (<100) and your HDLs naturally high (>60) your LDLs don't seem to matter much within a +/- 2 S.D. range.
David Oof VA5:31PM August 15, 2009
my trigs were 300 and a nutritionist friend told me to try red yeast rice (2 - 600 mg pills daily) i understand they have lovustatins in them naturally although in low doses. i also take 2g of fish oil daily.assuming i take no other medicine am i doing the right thing?i have followed this regimen for about 60 days and wonder if i should have my trigs checked again soon.
bob stasewichof MI4:37PM March 03, 2009
If one takes medications: statins, niacin, fish oil to lower bad cholesterol, elevate good cholesterol, reduce triglycerides, and one achieves the proposed levels: Cholesterol 125, LDL 45, HDL 60, Tri 100, is there outcome research to demonstrate improved survival? less strokes? fewer coronary events? If so, what is the time frame? Does one have to have "good" numbers for 6 months, a year, 2, 6 a decade? to achieve an improvement in outcomes? Are lifestyle changes more important than achieving specific target numbers? Do lifestyle changes achieve the same or better target lipid levels? Of the million people who die of vascular disorders every year, what is the percentage with normal cholesterol levels? Do those who have coronary events and normal cholesterol levels die at the same rate as those with abnormally high levels?
RiHo08of MI12:48PM January 31, 2009
If my bad cholesterol is bad but my good cholesterol is good.
Should I take any kind of cholesterol medicine. By the way my two brothers and Dad has/had high cholesterol and took medicine.
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David O of VA 5:31PM August 15, 2009
bob stasewich of MI 4:37PM March 03, 2009
RiHo08 of MI 12:48PM January 31, 2009
douglass kinkade of IN 5:06PM January 27, 2009