What is your total cholesterol levels?

[Reno911]

Low lipid levels (like that 120) is responsible for more heart attacks than someone who is 220.
Cholesterol is important and protective... Too low is not good...

To be clear. Does your statement mean heart attacks caused by blockages from Atherosclerosis? Or by a piece of soft plaque breaking off and causing a rupture in a "younger" person?

I think your post is missing some very important information.

 

[Fleezy]

There is SO much more at play regarding CVD than just lipid values. Just not buying it.

One doctor I watched (can’t remember who) essentially said the following are responsible for the development of heart disease:

By degree of importance:
1. Diabetes (primarily type 2)
2. Genes
3. HTN
4. Smoking
5. Inflammation
6. Alcoholism
7. Lifestyle (expertise and diet)
8. Lipids

 

[Fleezy]

expertise

Exercise*

 

[headtrainer]

To each their own but I think you're being pretty dogmatic here. I have personally come full circle with my thoughts on Statins but I think your claims are a bit exaggerated.

The biggest advantage of a statin is the plaque stabilization effect. Are they without fault? No. But what other drug will provide the plaque stabilization benefit?

As PED users, we have no issues using ancillaries and BP meds to control things but then when it comes to statins "OH NO, horrible- don't take them"!! It doesn't make a lot of sense. For years bodybuilders would not use BP meds. Now BP meds are common place because our community has seen the benefits on kidney health for keeping BP in range.

Another note to think about in regards to your statement of statins being "massively overprescribed". My question is how well does it work for a Doctor to tell someone with shitty lipids to exercise, eat healthy, and take a bunch of cholesterol support supplements? It works about 1% of the time. The rest of the time the best option for the doctor is to prescribe a med. Same can be said for blood pressure.

Taking a statin should be up to the individual. I’ve done my research and have decided I’ll never take a statin drug. My point was that taking a statin will only increase calcification—hardening of arteries. This occurs because the cells in your blood vessels are not working as they should. How much calcification you have in your arteries is one of the strongest indicators for your risk of having a heart attack in the future. But no one know exactly when this could occur. Why take a statin if it accelerates hardening of the arteries? Calcification of differential amounts, sizes, shapes, and positions play differential roles in plaque homeostasis. There’s no one solution fits all. The surrounding environments around the calcification within plaques also have impacts on plaque homeostasis.

People have a choice on whether or not to improve their lifestyle habits. There is no magic pill and genetics play a large factor in the development of arterial plaque just as genetics is what mostly determines one’s ability to grow muscle and increase strength.

 

[pistonpump]

One doctor I watched (can’t remember who) essentially said the following are responsible for the development of heart disease:

By degree of importance:
1. Diabetes (primarily type 2)
2. Genes
3. HTN
4. Smoking
5. Inflammation
6. Alcoholism
7. Lifestyle (expertise and diet)
8. Lipids

What's htn

 

[Fleezy]

What's htn

Hypertension

 

[buck]

One doctor I watched (can’t remember who) essentially said the following are responsible for the development of heart disease:

By degree of importance:
1. Diabetes (primarily type 2)
2. Genes
3. HTN
4. Smoking
5. Inflammation
6. Alcoholism
7. Lifestyle (expertise and diet)
8. Lipids

But as life style choices seem to drive what makes people a diabetic along with smoking and alcohol which are all lifestyle choices as i see it. Then life style should be number 1. Most studies i have seen point to life style being the main driver for death from disease.

 

[headtrainer]

One doctor I watched (can’t remember who) essentially said the following are responsible for the development of heart disease:

By degree of importance:
1. Diabetes (primarily type 2)
2. Genes
3. HTN
4. Smoking
5. Inflammation
6. Alcoholism
7. Lifestyle (expertise and diet)
8. Lipids

One thing is for certain—diabetes causes a lot of damage to the arteries. I also think high blood pressure causes a lot of damage to the ateries.

 

[headtrainer]

But as life style choices seem to drive what makes people a diabetic along with smoking and alcohol which are all lifestyle choices as i see it. Then life style should be number 1. Most studies i have seen point to life style being the main driver for death from disease.

Keep in mind that type-1 diabetes is hereditary. However, I believe one’s lifestyle does play a big factor in longevity. But so does genetics.

 

[headtrainer]

Low lipid levels (like that 120) is responsible for more heart attacks than someone who is 220.
Cholesterol is important and protective... Too low is not good...

I’m not sure about heart disease. But studies have shown that people with low lipids die younger. Lipids help fight cancer, autoimmune disease, etc.

 

[headtrainer]

What's htn

I also believe uncontrolled chronic stress causes endothelial injury, directly activating macrophages, promoting foam cell formation and generating the formation of calcified plaque. This would help explain why people with low, normal and high lipids die from heart attacks. Stress may very well be the number one killer for many diseases.

 

[Zamun]

Do you consume a lot of saturated fats?

Eh a good amount of red meat, and cured meats. Time to cut them out lol. LDL is literally double everyone’s here.

 

[UnholyAlliance]

Eh a good amount of red meat, and cured meats. Time to cut them out lol. LDL is literally double everyone’s here.

There's your culprit...reduce those and eat more chicken, fish or pork. Dump those cold cuts as most are highly processed meats.

 

[headtrainer]

Eh a good amount of red meat, and cured meats. Time to cut them out lol. LDL is literally double everyone’s here.

Good idea. Saturated fats increase LDL. Carbs/sugar increase the amount of oxidized LDL in your body.

 

[Zamun]

Good idea. Saturated fats increase LDL. Carbs/sugar increase the amount of oxidized LDL in your body.

Oxidizing would cause it to stick, correct? So limit sugar?

 

[headtrainer]

Oxidizing would cause it to stick, correct? So limit sugar?

Correct!

 

[buck]

Keep in mind that type-1 diabetes is hereditary. However, I believe one’s lifestyle does play a big factor in longevity. But so does genetics.

Most longevity studies i have seen point to 75%+ is due to life style. The identical twin studies on going out of England also support that from what i have seen.

Human longevity: Genetics or Lifestyle? It takes two to tango

Healthy aging and longevity in humans are modulated by a lucky combination of genetic and non-genetic factors. Family studies demonstrated that about 25 % of the variation in human longevity is due to genetic factors. The search for genetic and ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[buck]

I’m not sure about heart disease. But studies have shown that people with low lipids die younger. Lipids help fight cancer, autoimmune disease, etc.

Low cholesterol is associated with mortality from stroke, heart disease, and cancer: the Jichi Medical School Cohort Study - PubMed

Low cholesterol was related to high mortality even after excluding deaths due to liver disease from the analysis. High cholesterol was not a risk factor for mortality.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[whacked]

I’m not sure about heart disease. But studies have shown that people with low lipids die younger. Lipids help fight cancer, autoimmune disease, etc.

Nailed it. I’ve read the same and more specifically, on LDL. The lower the LDL, the higher the death rate. Can’t make this crap up. Lol.

If true, tanking LDL’s just doesn’t seem wise to me, or even messing with them for that matter.

Assuming your otherwise health (no insulin resistance or obesity and you get your exercise in).

Edit - just read Buck’s post. Nailed it again. Thanks

 

[whacked]

Oxidizing would cause it to stick, correct? So limit sugar?

Yes, and highly processed foods, rancid omega-6’s (seed oils) & other agents that cause systemic inflammation.