Hopeful news for those with risky CVD biomarkers

[Julie G]

If you're one of those with risky biomarkers I have a bit of hopeful news. My husband has tough genetics; diabetes and heart disease run rampant in his family. His latest round of biomarker testing yielded that he was prediabetic (HbA1c 5.7) and he had a super high LDL-P (4th quartile). I was terrified for him as I know this combo is very often a recipe for cardiovascular disease. I encouraged him to check his calcium score, via EBT heart scan, and surprisingly his score was ZERO.

Even though he's an ApoE2/3, he practices a protocol quite similar to many E4 carriers — to the best of his ability. He travels internationally so is often awake all night, high stress, etc. He eats lots of clean veggies, protein and liberally uses high polyphenol EVOO, rides his bike and strength trains at least 5 days a week on a good supplement regimen.

Just wanted to share in case others had similar biomarkers. Please check your calcium score to see if your biomarkers are as predictive as they are purported to be.

[Kwai Chang Cain]

Hey Julie, thats good to hear! A couple questions: What is his age?
Are these blood results consistent with prior results if there are any? In other words has he had high LDL – P for a long time you think?

[Laurie Sotro]

Hey Julie, thats good to hear! A couple questions: What is his age?
Are these blood results consistent with prior results if there are any? In other words has he had high LDL – P for a long time you think?

Hello Kwai Chang Cain,

My name is Laurie and as a Support Team Intern, I would like to welcome you to this forum; we are so glad you joined us! You have found a very supportive, informational and encouraging community here.

Yes, I agree with you that the news of Julie's husband's calcium score being ZERO, is so good to hear and encouraging for anyone working on their own lipid markers in prevention of cardiovascular disease.

While looking around on this site you may have already noticed just how robust it is with various content and so many amazing areas to check out. If I may, I would like to highlight for you a few areas of interest.

Many of our members find the following links a great place to start since they contain resources to help you become more familiar with our site and receive a solid introduction to all the amazing resources we offer.

The How-To Guide includes topics such as navigating the forum, private messaging, and searching. One great tip is using the quote (") button when replying to a specific post. Using the button will automatically alert that member of your response.

You can browse a wealth of information in both the Wiki and also the Primer , which is a detailed and informative resource written by a practicing M.D. with ApoE4/4.

You may also be interested in learning about other members journeys or even sharing your own story with us, and we welcome you to do so! The encouragement and support found in these stories are some of our members favorite things to read through. If you haven't already, feel free to check out this link:
Our Stories.

In closing may I say, I commend your curiosity in joining us and your love of learning in asking Julie G. your question. This forum is a wealth of knowledge to help support our members. Welcome aboard! Please reach out if you have any further questions!

Kindly,
Laurie Sotro
Support Team Intern

[Julie G]

Hey Julie, thats good to hear! A couple questions: What is his age?
Are these blood results consistent with prior results if there are any? In other words has he had high LDL – P for a long time you think?

Yes, consistently high LDL-P (`2,500) and glycemic markers (5.6) despite a pretty clean diet/lifestyle/exercise routine, etc. He's 63 and an international pilot often flying on the backside of the clock with an inconsistent schedule. He's got really bad genes, despite his APOE 2/3 status. Many of his family members died early from CAD and diabetes. He takes lots of protective sups: NEO-40, garlic, vitamin C, EPA, DHA, curcumin, D3, K2, liver capsules, berberine, B12, folate, B6, TMG, etc. He's recently started red rice yeast— not sure how I feel about that given his zero calcium score.

Are you in the same boat with a higher LDL-P? Have you checked your calcium score?

[bambam]

If you're one of those with risky biomarkers I have a bit of hopeful news. My husband has tough genetics; diabetes and heart disease run rampant in his family. His latest round of biomarker testing yielded that he was prediabetic (HbA1c 5.7) and he had a super high LDL-P (4th quartile). I was terrified for him as I know this combo is very often a recipe for cardiovascular disease. I encouraged him to check his calcium score, via EBT heart scan, and surprisingly his score was ZERO.

Even though he's an ApoE2/3, he practices a protocol quite similar to many E4 carriers — to the best of his ability. He travels internationally so is often awake all night, high stress, etc. He eats lots of clean veggies, protein and liberally uses high polyphenol EVOO, rides his bike and strength trains at least 5 days a week on a good supplement regimen.

Just wanted to share in case others had similar biomarkers. Please check your calcium score to see if your biomarkers are as predictive as they are purported to be.

Hi Julie,
I was wondering what you thought about the recent news that having high ldl cholesterol is a risk factor for Alzheimer's? Dr. Bredeson doesn't like statins because they are also a factor in Alzheimer's. Whatever is one to do?

[Julie G]

Hi Julie,
I was wondering what you thought about the recent news that having high ldl cholesterol is a risk factor for Alzheimer's? Dr. Bredeson doesn't like statins because they are also a factor in Alzheimer's. Whatever is one to do?

Hi Bam Bam,
I assume you're referring to the new Lancet Commission Report that (for the first time!) included high LDL-C as a risk factor for dementia? I think that recommendation was based largely on this paper: Association between cholesterol levels and dementia risk according to the presence of diabetes and statin use: a nationwide cohort study.

As you can see from figure 2 the relationship between LDL-C and dementia is far from clear. Statin users and non-users with and without diabetes who have low levels of cholesterol are at high risk, whereas statin users with and without diabetes appears to increase the risk of dementia as cholesterol levels rise. I suspect that we have more to learn about this.

2.png

Re. Dr. Bredesen's position on statins, it's evolving with the research. His initial stance opposing statins was based on a early mouse experiment that he and his colleagues ran searching for medications that cause dementia. A specific type of statin (that has since been recalled) was found to be the greatest contributor. Newer research has shown that some statins can be protective for some people, some of the time. He would warn against lipophilic statins in favor of hydrophilic to protect the desmosterol pool. But, I think everyone acknowledges a lot of uncertainly about their use, including the Lancet Commission who doesn't recommend them in this report.

[bambam]

Hi Julie,
I was wondering what you thought about the recent news that having high ldl cholesterol is a risk factor for Alzheimer's? Dr. Bredeson doesn't like statins because they are also a factor in Alzheimer's. Whatever is one to do?

Hi Bam Bam,
I assume you're referring to the new Lancet Commission Report that (for the first time!) included high LDL-C as a risk factor for dementia? I think that recommendation was based largely on this paper: Association between cholesterol levels and dementia risk according to the presence of diabetes and statin use: a nationwide cohort study.

As you can see from figure 2 the relationship between LDL-C and dementia is far from clear. Statin users and non-users with and without diabetes who have low levels of cholesterol are at high risk, whereas statin users with and without diabetes appears to increase the risk of dementia as cholesterol levels rise. I suspect that we have more to learn about this.


2.png


Re. Dr. Bredesen's position on statins, it's evolving with the research. His initial stance opposing statins was based on a early mouse experiment that he and his colleagues ran searching for medications that cause dementia. A specific type of statin (that has since been recalled) was found to be the greatest contributor. Newer research has shown that some statins can be protective for some people, some of the time. He would warn against lipophilic statins in favor of hydrophilic to protect the desmosterol pool. But, I think everyone acknowledges a lot of uncertainly about their use, including the Lancet Commission who doesn't recommend them in this report.

Julie, thank you for your reply! Yes, that was the report I was referring to. There IS A LOT of uncertainty, which makes it hard to figure out what to do when you have the Apoe4 gene AND high cholesterol...Thanks again!