Can Further Lowering of Blood Cholesterol Save Lives?

For many years, lowering blood levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has been a key target for individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and healthy people at increased risk for developing such disease. Statin drugs play a key role for risk reduction and are prescribed to millions of people worldwide. Apart from lowering blood cholesterol, … Read more

10 Pitfalls of Using LDL Cholesterol to Assess Risk

Blood levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), commonly termed the “bad cholesterol” are widely used to assess the risk of future heart disease. A traditional lipid panel measures total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). These numbers are then used to calculate LDL-C which has been found to be strongly correlated with the risk of cardiovascular disease … Read more

LDL Cholesterol, Particle Number and Particle Size Made Easy

Measurements of lipids levels in blood are frequently used to assess the risk of future heart disease. The most commonly used measurements are total cholesterol, triglycerides and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). These numbers are then used to calculate low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), which has been found to be strongly correlated with the risk of heart disease. Recently … Read more

Cholesterol Clarity or More Disparity

For decades cholesterol has been a major player when it comes to preventing heart disease. Measuring blood cholesterol and knowing your numbers is of key importance. If your numbers spell danger, you need to know what to do. Otherwise, you may be in big trouble. In their book published last year, Heart 411: The Only … Read more

Heart Attack and Sudden Death. “It’s the particles stupid”.

Actor James Gandolfini’s sudden and tragic passing has cruelly reminded us about the seriousness and unpredictability of cardiovascular disease. Sudden death in middle age is most often caused by underlying coronary heart disease (CHD). One has to wonder, in light of current knowledge and modern technology, why we can not prevent such devastating events. One … Read more