For those following my progress I am updating my lipid values and the results of my NMR Lipoprofile as well as my MPO (Myeloperoxidase - arterial inflammation).
As noted in my last post, due to a lab error, my June 28th, 2018 NMR Lipoprofile and MPO value were not completed. As a result, I repeated the test on July 31, 2018.
For the record, I do not take any prescription medication. I take a baby aspirin 81 mg dosage, every other day. My INR (International Normalized Ratio) - measuring clotting time - is 1.0, which is in the normal range. I take a variety of supplements, am on a whole-foods, plant-based diet, and exercise daily.
Here are my updated values:
MPO - 223 pmol/l - same value as Oct. 2017 and well within the desirable range of <470 pmol/l;
Lipid metrics:
Total cholesterol: 5.25 mmol/l - slightly above the 5.18 mmol/l guideline but of no relevance;
HDL-C: 2.53 mmol/l - optimal value above >1.55 mmol/l;
non-HDL: 2.72 mmol/l - optimal value - below 3.37 mmol/l
LDL-C: 2.43 mmol/l - optimal value - below 2.59 mmol/l
Triglycerides: 0.59 mmol/l - optimal value - below 1.7 mmol/l
VLDL: 0.27 mmol/l - optimal value - below 0.77 mmol/l
TC/HDL ratio: 2.1:1 - optimal value below 3.5:1 guideline
Triglycerides/HDL ratio: 0.24:1 - optimal value - below 0.87:1 guideline
These are the standard measures used by the medical community - and by their current standards - my results are excellent - especially the HDL-C which is actually higher than my LDL-C and nearly as high as my NON-HDL-C value. This means due to my high HDL-C, the RCT (Reverse cholesterol transport) mechanism is clearing out all LDL-C and nearly all other atherogenic particles. Who knows, I may even be experiencing plaque regression - I won't know this until some other planned tests are done.
Now for the NMR Lipoprofile results - which I place more weight in, since this is the state of the art measure of CVD risk. It measures cholesterol lipoprotein particle numbers circulating in the bloodstream, particle size, and Insulin Sensitivity. I last completed this test in December 2017 - as can be seen from the table below, all of my values improved:
===========Dec 2017 =====July 2018 =====Guideline ========Result
LDL-P =======858 =========733 ========= <1000 nmol/l =====Optimal
HDL-P =======33 ==========38.8 ======== > 30.5 umol/l =====Optimal
Small LDL-P===162========= <90 ========== < 527 nmol/l ====Optimal
LDL size ======21.1=========21.3========= > 20.5 nm =======Optimal
Insulin Resistance Score - measures insulin sensitivity
LP-IR - ======== <25========= <25========== <45===========Optimal
This means I am 'Insulin Sensitive' or 'IS' which is the healthy state for an individual. Those who have metabolic syndrome or are type 2 diabetics are 'insulin resistant' or 'IR'.
My last LP-Pla2 test which measures plaque stability (risk of blood clots from loose plaque covering) was 79 nmol/min/mL which is slightly above (not good) the <75 optimal value. My previous score was 74 in Oct 2017. My remedy for this is to increase my fish-oil capsules to 3 doses per day from 2 doses per day. Omega-3 consumption is critical for plaque stabilization.
When assessing my overall blood metrics we can conclude that my current cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is quite low.
I recently saw my cardiologist who performed an examination and provided an assessment of my last echocardiogram completed in October 2017. He said my Left ventrical size and Ejection Fraction of 57% indicated a heart that is operating normally. In other words, no indication of damage to the heart muscle.
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My next step is to do two diagnostic tests:
1) the Carotid IMT test which uses ultrasound instead of radiation to determine the level of plaque accumulation in the body;
2) Angiodefender - which measures FMD (Flow Mediated Dilation) in the brachial artery. This will provide another view of the health of my endothelium.
Good luck to all.
High Cholesterol but high HDL
