Re: considering a heart scan

[Guest guest]

Hi :

A non-radiation alternative would be a carotid IMT test.

Would check your carotid arteries for blockage instead of heart but

the test is supposed to be a fairly good surrogate.

The 'normal' value is 0·8 mm. A value of 1·0 mm or higher is

supposed to mean trouble. People established on CRON average 0·5

mm, which probably means totally clean arteries.

But it isn't measuring your heart. But it doesn't involve

radiation, either.

fwiw

Rodney.

[My bet is 0.8 mm means arteries only half blocked. I.E. no

symptoms yet.]

--- In , " Mock " <andiemock@...>

wrote:

>

> Hello -

>

> My total cholesterol has been high every test for 20 years. I've

religiously

> followed the diets of Drs. Ornish and Fuhrman *and* did CRON for a

year. I

> was especially focused on the ON of CRON the last 5 months, making

a variety

> of legume soups with green leafy vegies as a base, eating it for

lunch with

> huge fruit and leafy green salads, breakfast of apples, walnuts

(small amt)

> and high fiber buckwheat, omega 3s, flax seed. Dinner were a wee

portion of

> chicken or more legumes, plus veggies. No dairy (lactose

intolerant) almost

> no refined grains (gluten intolerant) and my numbers went UP.

>

> My HDL/LDL numbers the last four years have been 82/167, 88/142,

68/155,

> most recent is 85/172.

>

> My VLDL is in the good range at 20 and my triglycerides have never

been out

> of the reference interval.

>

> I Googled and found:

>

> 1. A JAMA article about a study of what appears to be the highly

inheritable

> longevity gene. There are people out there with significantly

larger LDL and

> HDL particle size and that it it's the particle size, not the

absolute

> numbers of LDL that appear to be protective.

>

> http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/290/15/2030

>

> 2. A link is to the cardiologist who specializes in cholesterol

research who

> says his general rule is one does not get coronary heart disease

until one's

> age is greater that his/her HDL. Meaning I wouldn't get heart

disease until

> I'm 68. He would not put people on statins with numbers like mine.

>

> http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=14632

>

> My father smoked for 45 years, drank to excess, ate donuts,

Mountain Dew and

> a half a pound of bacon for breakfast. He lived to be 89 in

amazing health

> considering what we know about diet. He had emphysema and died of

pneumonia

> in his sleep. Mom, a conscientious eater, had a heart attack and

died

> suddenly at 69.

>

> I conclude, for better or worse, my genes are trumping my

lifestyle mods.

>

> Could it be that my Dad had the longevity gene? Since my genes

could be

> coming from either Mom or Dad, these lipid panels may, in my case,

not be

> conclusive about the state of my arteries.

>

> I'm considering a heart scan for $500. If my arteries are clear as

a bell

> after twenty years of high cholesterol, I'll conclude I have Dad's

gene pool

> and won't take statins. If my arteries are average or worse, I'll

go on the

> statins.

>

> Does anyone have experience with heart scans as a predictor of

heart

> disease?

>

> Andie

>

[Guest guest]

,

From your description, you are eating healthy foods with good sources

of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The question is: How much? Your

HDL is high which is good, but your LDL is high which is bad.

Normally, LDL can be lowered by decreasing the amount of saturated

fats that you eat. Since you are lactose intolerant, I suppose that

you don't use butter. I don't know if you use coconut oil, but if you

do, you should avoid it because it is high in saturated fat. Also,

avoid hydrogenated fats.

Cholesterol levels can be controlled through diet by regulating the

proportion of fatty acids in your food. Increase your sources of

polyunsaturated fatty acids such as walnuts, sunflower seeds, and

decrease sources of saturated fats. Use CRON-o-Meter

(http://spaz.ca/cronometer/) or similar software to track your

nutrition. In this way, you will know what kinds of fats you are

eating and their proportion. You can read about the Hegsted equation

to learn about fatty acid balancing:

http://scientificpsychic.com/health/cholesterol1.html

It is also possible that you are the 1 in 500 people with familial

hypercholesterolemia. In this case, statins might be indicated.

Low-fat diets can also increase cholesterol. The polyunsaturated

omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are " essential " fatty acids which MUST

be included in the diet. Carbohydrates are metabolized to palmitic

acid (a saturated fatty acid), so a diet deficient in essential fatty

acids will increase cholesterol.

Use CRON-o-Meter and let us know the amounts of saturated,

monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats that you are eating per day,

as an average.

Tony

--- In , " Mock " <andiemock@...>

wrote:

>

> Hello -

>

> My total cholesterol has been high every test for 20 years. I've

religiously

> followed the diets of Drs. Ornish and Fuhrman *and* did CRON for a

year. I

> was especially focused on the ON of CRON the last 5 months, making a

variety

> of legume soups with green leafy vegies as a base, eating it for

lunch with

> huge fruit and leafy green salads, breakfast of apples, walnuts

(small amt)

> and high fiber buckwheat, omega 3s, flax seed. Dinner were a wee

portion of

> chicken or more legumes, plus veggies. No dairy (lactose intolerant)

almost

> no refined grains (gluten intolerant) and my numbers went UP.

>

> My HDL/LDL numbers the last four years have been 82/167, 88/142, 68/155,

> most recent is 85/172.

>

> My VLDL is in the good range at 20 and my triglycerides have never

been out

> of the reference interval.

>