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|| health & wellness | DIAGNOSIS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
sive levels of circulating LDL-C result in atherosclerosis, and
treatment accordingly is focused on removing the excess. Given
that all the cholesterol we need is made in the liver, how much
additional cholesterol we can take in through diet without negative
consequences is a question. A definitive answer remains elusive.
And while it’s clear that there is a direct relationship between
LDL-C and atherosclerosis, we don’t yet completely understand
the mechanisms involved.
For sources consulted in this article, see the following links:
Extreme high high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is paradoxically associ-
ated with high mortality in men and women: two prospective cohort studies
(https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/38/32/2478/3608700/Extrem
e-high-high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol)
Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Disease (www.webmd.com/heart-
disease/atherosclerosis-and-coronary-artery-disease#1)
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) in Atherosclerosis and Heart Disease
ARTI:
Statins are considered to be a
good prophylactic against cardio-
vascular disease. Doctors pre-
scribe them to lower high
levels of LDL-C in the
blood. And even once
readings are normalized,
they urge continuing the
prescription to prevent a
return to high levels. Statins also re-
duce inflammation and inhibit the clot-
ting process, both of which play a role
in the formation of atherosclerotic
plaques.
Tolerance to statins is usually
good. They can be accompanied by
side effects, though, some of them
rare but serious: aside from muscle
pains and digestive problems, statins
can cause inflammation of the liver,
muscle damage, and an increase in
blood glucose. The most dangerous
complications are muscle tissue degradation with kid-
ney dysfunction. Those who take statins need to know
that those little tablets may not be so harmless, espe-
ALPEON.COM
(www.docsopinion.com/2016/01/25/low-density-lipoprotein-in-atheroscler-
osis-and-heart-disease/)
Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks (www.mayoclinic.org/dis-
eases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-
20046013)
Fish oil and the 'Eskimo diet': another medical myth debunked
(www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2014/08/fish-oil-and-eskimo-diet-
another-medical-myth-debunked)
Chemical elements in the blood of Chukotka natives and their connec-
tion to antropometric indices
(https://link.springer.com/article/10.3103/S1062873815010165)
Nuclear transport modulation reduces hypercholesterolemia, atheroscle-
rosis, and fatty liver (www.ncb i.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3647260/)
Familial hypercholesterolemia (https://thefhfoundation.org/ldl-receptor)
Eating too much added sugar increases the risk of dying with heart dis-
ease (www.health.harvard.edu/blog/eating-too-much-added-sugar-
increases-the-risk-of-dying-with-heart-disease-201402067021)
Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease
and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective
cohort study (www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-
6736(17)32252-3/fulltext)
cially given the continuing controversy over the under-
lying causes of atherosclerosis.
New, large-scale cohort stud-
ies such as PURE (the
Prospective Urban Rural Epi-
demiology study) suggest
that fats should be “rehabil-
itated” (see p. 37).
The experience of
other cultures is also wor-
thy of study. Inuits and peo-
ples native to the Siberian
Far North—the Chukchis,
Yakuts, and Evenks—are re-
ported to have suffered relatively
little from atherosclerosis on tra-
ditional diets that are, from the
medical point of view, “incorrect”
and unbalanced, consisting as
they do of up to 80% fat and
20% or more of protein. As
they have added grain-fed
meat and refined carbohy-
drates to their diet, however,
these peoples have experienced a dramatic rise in ath-
erosclerosis, obesity, and other Western diseases.