Do you know what you don’t know? You probably do not know that cholesterol only predicts heart risk 40% of the time. There is a better way. The Apo b / A-1 ratio is a better predictor. Recent Danish studies further identify the Lp (a) as being associated with heart disease risk.
Further, there is a glutathione boosting alternative to statins that is safer and more effective with out the side effects of statins.
Take the information ride and learn more about the underlying cause and where to find an underlying safe and effective treatment. Read on….
Old Cholesterol Thinking
We all know that the desirable total cholesterol is Less than 200
We know that LDL or the Bad Cholesterol should be under 130
We know that HDL or good Cholesterol should be over 60
What you may not know is that the understanding of these numbers has changed.
The Apo B/A-1 Ratio
What is more important is the B/A-1 Ratio.
What is Apo B/A-1 A? It is a ratio. The ratio is of a smaller part of the cholesterol. One that, if your doctor does not practice evidence based medicine, he/ she will not know about.
It is considered the superior way to measure risk.
Forget everything you thought you knew about LDL and HDL. A 2006 Study: The apo B/A-I Ratio — A Stronger Predictor of Cardiovascular Events Than LDL, HDL, or Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides, or Lipid Ratios changes everything.
Wait, this has been out since 2006? How come we did not hear about this till now? There is some debate on the topic.
Here are some questions to ask.
How can two people with the same cholesterol values have one who gets atherosclerosis and the other does not? How can athletes in better shape than us die of heart attacks?
Most importantly, if there were a better way to manage cholesterol, would you be interested?
The answer lies in managing the Apo B A-1 ratio.
Individuals with seemingly acceptable LDL cholesterol levels may in fact have high apo B values, revealing the presence of many small, dense LDL particles, thus indicating substantial risk.
Now factor in the Lipoprotein(a) also known as Lp(a), a lipoprotein subclass. Studies have identified Lp(a) as a putative risk factor for atherosclerotic diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke.
According to a Danish study, high Lp(a) in blood is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease (CVD), atherosclerosis, blood clots (thrombosis), and stroke.
Lp-a concentrations may be affected by disease states. Here is the important part. It is only slightly affected by diet, exercise, and other environmental factors. The same is true of Lp(b).
Statins, the common prescribed lipid-reducing drugs have little or no effect on Lp(a) or Lp(b) except to increase their ratio. The B vitamin Niacin (nicotinic acid), aspirin, NAC and Cysteine are known to significantly reduce the levels of Lp(a) in some individuals with high Lp(a).
But wait, it gets worse. If our LDL is high and we do not have a lot of Apo B, then by taking a cholesterol lowering drug, we can potentially raise the Apo B / A-1 Ratio and increasing the risk.
If the doc says you need to start a Statin or cholesterol lowering drug, the question to ask, “Have you done the VAP test?”
The old cholesterol measurement and ratios are only 40% accurate according to literature.
But….
There are three more things you need to know.
One, there is an even better way to fight cholesterol. One with out the side effects of statins, one of the most debilitating being amnesia / loss of memory.
Research has found that cysteines are the safest, most effective nutrient known to lower Lp(a) levels. One form of cysteine reduces Lp(a) by almost 70%.
In the interest of disclosure, you should know that I am a distributor of two such cysteine products.
The second: What is the risk benefit ratio for those taking Statins who are over 65. This will be in another post. However, I can tell you that the benefit according to one study is NO benefit. Oh it will lower your cholesterol. But the benefit of decreasing cardiac risk is not there.
Do not stop taking your medicine just because your reading this. However, if it touches a nerve, you need to be proactive in your health care. You need to become an educated consumer.
Third: cholesterol and in particular the ones we are discussing here are associated with middle age memory loss and risk of Alzheimer’s in old age. What would it be worth to prevent your memories from being stolen in your old age?
Using cysteine to boost your intercellular glutathione may help in other ways. Talk with your doctor. If he is not knowledgeable on complimentary alternative medicine, find a doctor who is.
Incidentally, the cysteine products I use are mainstream medicine. One is medicare approved. Both can be found in the Physicians Desk Reference.
There is a section on GlutathioneDiseaseCure.com looking at this topic. It is a work in progress so please come back. Your patience is appreciated.
One more thing…2 carrots a day. Yes, eating just 2 carrots a day can help improve the numbers. To get the best benefit, only eat your 2 carrots three days in a row and two days do not have any carrots.
It has long been known that boosting your Glutathione helps maintain your cholesterol at safe levels. Now it is known that it helps keep the bad cholesterol and parts there of at bay as well.
Tags: alternative to statins, Apo B/A-1 Ratio, atherosclerosis, cholesterol, cysteine, Danish study, Glutathione, HDL or good Cholesterol, LDL or the Bad Cholesterol, NAC, Statins