Cholesterol..something new to think about?
Options
Anonymous
Member Posts: 1,376
Well, I'd better hurry up and get HDL up there according to this article.
Shirley
Shirley
Quote:
Total Cholesterol, HDL Good Predictors of Heart Disease Risk
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
,
HealthDay
Posted: 2007-08-14 16:11:42
TUESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Measuring total cholesterol and so-called "good" cholesterol or HDL is sufficient to predict heart disease risk without measuring other blood lipids, according to a new study.
Measuring other types of fatty substances in the blood -- substances called apolipoprotein B and A-I -- does not give any added value, said co-researcher Dr. Ramachandran S. Vasan, professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.
"In the United States, [measuring] total cholesterol and HDL are part of the standard lipid profile," he said. But elsewhere, guidelines also recommend measuring apolipoprotein B and A-I and computing their ratio.
Apo B is the main protein component of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the so-called "bad" cholesterol. A-I is the main component of HDL. Apo B proteins spur hardening of the arteries, while Apo A-I proteins protect against it.
Some research has suggested that measuring the ratio of Apo B and A-I might be superior to using the ratio of total cholesterol and HDL to figure out heart disease risk. So, Vasan and his colleagues decided to compare the two approaches to see if one was superior.
Their findings are published in the Aug. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Vasan's team followed more than 3,300 middle-aged participants in the Framingham Offspring Study, a major study launched in 1971. Cholesterol measurements were taken in the years 1987 to 1991, when the men and women were free of heart disease.
After a follow-up of about 15 years, 291 participants, including 198 men, developed heart disease.
Measurements of the apo B to apo A-I ratio were compared with measuring the total cholesterol to HDL ratio to see how well each approach predicted the participants' heart disease.
The researchers concluded that the total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio was sufficient and that the other ratio does not substantially improve the accuracy of the prediction.
Apo B and apo A-I measurements are not routinely available, Vasan said, but are offered at some labs.
For years, researchers have debated whether measurement of the apolipoproteins should be added routinely to predict a person's heart disease risk.
But it seems that the old standby, "total cholesterol over HDL, is capturing most of the information that is in the apo B over A-I measurement," Vasan said.
"If you know your total and HDL cholesterol, our data do not support the need for additional measurements of apo B and A-I," he said.
Physicians divide total cholesterol by HDL cholesterol to get a ratio of total cholesterol to the healthy HDL cholesterol, Vasan explained. "A ratio below 3.5 is ideal," he said. For instance, if total cholesterol is 150 and HDL is 50, the ratio is 3, and the risk for heart disease is low.
If total cholesterol is 175 and HDL is 50, the ratio is 3.5.
Figuring the apo B to apo A-I ratio gives the balance of proteins that cause build up in the arteries with those that help prevent it.
One expert agreed with the researchers' conclusions, but with one caveat.
Dr. Scott Grundy, a professor of internal medicine and distinguished chair in human nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, said that predicting heart disease risk should also take into account other risk factors gleaned from the long-running Framingham Heart Study. These include factors such as age, gender, systolic blood pressure (the top number in the blood pressure reading), whether the person is on treatment for high blood pressure and whether the person smokes.
Total cholesterol below 200 milligrams per deciliter is desirable, according to the National Cholesterol Education Program. HDL levels of 60 mg/dl and higher are heart-protective, while HDL levels below 40 are considered low.
More information
There's more on battling cholesterol at the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute .
SOURCES: Ramachandran S. Vasan, M.D., professor, medicine, Boston University, Boston; Scott Grundy, M.D., Ph.D., distinguished chair in human nutrition, and professor, internal medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas; Aug. 15, 2007, Journal of the American Medical Association
---
Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
08/14/2007 16:00 EST
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team