Not sure if this is the right place to post but here goes:
I am a 30 y/o female and I'm going to meet with my ND next week. She wants to follow up with me because she's concerned about my family history (lots of AD and CVD) and high LDL cholesterol.
My numbers earlier this year:
LDL-142
HDL-69
Total-220
Trig-44
She mentioned a CAC but then offered to do further blood testing for a better picture. She suggested homocysteine, Lipoprotein a, CRP, and fibrinogen. Should I have her add in LDL-p? Is there a test for oxidized cholesterol? Any other suggestions of things to look at? Or do I just go for the CAC now? If it helps to know, I have nothing to indicate insulin resistance. I have inadvertently done IF my whole life and have always avoided premade/processed foods (I eat clean 75% of the time....clean being whole foods, make your own salad dressing from olive oil you sourced yourself kind of clean).
wocky wrote:
I am a 30 y/o female and I'm going to meet with my ND next week. She wants to follow up with me because she's concerned about my family history (lots of AD and CVD) and high LDL cholesterol.
My numbers earlier this year:
LDL-142
HDL-69
Total-220
Trig-44
Hello wocky,
Welcome to the site! Congratulations on the positive steps you have already put in place regarding IF and diet. That's a terrific start and often the hardest for people to implement. There is a section on our site regarding Biomarker Targets, Ranges and Labs that may answer some of your questions regarding your own numbers. I would like to invite you to look around the forum. A great resource to explore is the PRIMER. This 'handbook' is a comprehensive overview of prevention strategies. You can find in the primer tips on lowering insulin resistance, sleep, stress management, movement and diet tips. Dr Stavia, who wrote the PRIMER, has also included an explanation of science of APOE4 phenotype, summary of important biomarkers to check and important supplements to consider.
wocky wrote:
She mentioned a CAC but then offered to do further blood testing for a better picture....Is there a test for oxidized cholesterol?
Hi wocky;
There is no right or wrong answer. I agree with Tincup that your traditional lipid results look great. The Coronary Artery Calcification test is a CT, so some amount of radiation is needed for the imaging. It tells you if there is any calcified plaque in the arteries supplying blood to your heart at this time. Having calcification in a woman at age 30 is probably rare; a quick internet search didn't come up with anything conclusive. You may find this review of interest.
There is a blood test for oxidized cholesterol, typically not available through standard lab testing, but can be ordered with "specialty" labs that are not always covered by insurance.
For a deeper dive on lipids, you might want to read our wiki article.
Think about what you would do with the information gathered through additional testing. Would you want to make additional lifestyle changes, take supplements or medicines? Would these interventions be sustainable for you for the long term?
Slacker, I just went to the Wiki you linked and think I might have found an error there (don't know if I can correct it).
It states: "Insulin resistance. HbA1c should be <5.6 and fasting insulin <= 5.4 ulU/mL per Dr. Bredesen and Dr. Stavia recommends an HbA1c closer to 5."
But shouldn't fasting insulin be <4.5?
Also, didn't Bredesen recently change the optimal HbA1c to <5.3?
wocky wrote:
She mentioned a CAC but then offered to do further blood testing for a better picture....Is there a test for oxidized cholesterol?
Hi wocky;
There is no right or wrong answer. I agree with Tincup that your traditional lipid results look great. The Coronary Artery Calcification test is a CT, so some amount of radiation is needed for the imaging. It tells you if there is any calcified plaque in the arteries supplying blood to your heart at this time. Having calcification in a woman at age 30 is probably rare; a quick internet search didn't come up with anything conclusive. You may find this review of interest.
There is a blood test for oxidized cholesterol, typically not available through standard lab testing, but can be ordered with "specialty" labs that are not always covered by insurance.
For a deeper dive on lipids, you might want to read our wiki article.
Think about what you would do with the information gathered through additional testing. Would you want to make additional lifestyle changes, take supplements or medicines? Would these interventions be sustainable for you for the long term?
I am certainly willing to take supplements, that's easy. I could also make some tweaks to my diet, but I am not interested in spending the rest of my life on a super restrictive diet in which I don't ever eat the foods I love (meat, cheese, butter, etc). And it is my personal belief that a varied diet of minimally processed foods is best, so I could never get on board with a diet where I subsist on mainly olive oil (as much as I like it). Also, I am pretty underweight and don't see cutting out my main calorie sources/making eating unenjoyable being a positive change for my health.
Really what I am looking for is a way to confirm things are on the right track in the least invasive way possible. If they aren't, I'll be more open to making a few alterations. Thank you for the article you linked, I only wish it said more about what specifically can be done for people with a bad family history.
wocky wrote:
I am a 30 y/o female and I'm going to meet with my ND next week. She wants to follow up with me because she's concerned about my family history (lots of AD and CVD) and high LDL cholesterol.
My numbers earlier this year:
LDL-142
HDL-69
Total-220
Trig-44
Hello wocky,
Welcome to the site! Congratulations on the positive steps you have already put in place regarding IF and diet. That's a terrific start and often the hardest for people to implement. There is a section on our site regarding Biomarker Targets, Ranges and Labs that may answer some of your questions regarding your own numbers. I would like to invite you to look around the forum. A great resource to explore is the PRIMER. This 'handbook' is a comprehensive overview of prevention strategies. You can find in the primer tips on lowering insulin resistance, sleep, stress management, movement and diet tips. Dr Stavia, who wrote the PRIMER, has also included an explanation of science of APOE4 phenotype, summary of important biomarkers to check and important supplements to consider.
Please reach out if at any point of your journey questions and concerns come up. We are here to support and help.
With warm regards,
Caroline
Thanks for the links, this website has so much information that it is a bit overwhelming! The biomarker one you sent was pretty much what I was looking for but hadn't come across.
