YOU KNOW YOUR CHOLESTEROL, BUT DO YOU KNOW THIS LEVEL?



In today’s health environment, thanks to aggressive marketing by the pharmaceutical companies promoting the near godlike power of the statins to lower levels, most everyone knows where their cholesterol sits.  The reality is that total cholesterol, as a risk factor for heart attacks and cardiovascular mortality, is just short of worthless.  The more important value, however, is not known by most people.

Triglycerides have long been known to be a major player in heart disease risk.  The relationship between triglycerides and HDL (“good”) cholesterol is a key factor to look at in evaluating your risk.  Ideally, a ratio of 2:1 or less is desirable.  There are only a handful of patients I have seen where the triglycerides are close to or even lower than the HDL levels.

There reason these levels are so important is that they are driven by our relationship between our insulin and our cells (i.e. prediabetes).  Since prediabetes and diabetes absolutely destroy our cardiovascular system you can see why this ratio is so important.

This particular study further reinforces this, finding that non-fasting levels of triglycerides were the strongest predictor of total mortality.  While non-fasting cholesterol levels were associated with risk of heart attack, the risks of high non-fasting triglycerides were much more severe.   Levels above 443 (normal fasting values should be well under 150) increased the risk of heart attack by 420% and risk of death overall by 50%.  THIS is why you need to know your numbers.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2796.2010.02333.x/abstract

James Bogash

For more than a decade, Dr. Bogash has stayed current with the medical literature as it relates to physiology, disease prevention and disease management. He uses his knowledge to educate patients, the community and cyberspace on the best way to avoid and / or manage chronic diseases using lifestyle and targeted supplementation.







Email:



Posted on
Categories: Cholesterol, Diabetes (Type 2), Heart Disease, Prediabetes
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

2 thoughts on “YOU KNOW YOUR CHOLESTEROL, BUT DO YOU KNOW THIS LEVEL?”

Comments are closed.