Hi. A dear friend of mine had a mini stroke three days ago. Reason? The wrong type of blood pressure medicine and her reluctance to use a prescribed statin. She was lucky this time.
Folks, please stay on top of these things.
I am not sure about the author of that article at elitefts, but I will say this: I wouldn't go to Elitefts looking for adivce on heart health any more than I'd go to a cardiologist for advice in getting more pounds out of a bench shirt.
The article takes the most extreme, out there position on cholesterol. There are some half truths and untruths there. For example:
Quote:
There is an eleven percent increase in total mortality and a fourteen percent increase in cardiovascular disease for every one mg/dl reduction in our cholesterol rate.
Think about that for a minute. Do you know how many people people have lowered their cholesterol? By way, way more than 1 mg/dl? Do you really believe that statistic?
To me it looks like the Framingham study started the whole cholesterol bruhaha. They noted that cholesterol was in the arterial plaques, and that there were some correlations between cholesterol and heart disease. Then a bunch of half assed unsubstantiated inferences were made and acted on as if they were facts. Also, some subtleties were ignored - such as the fact that HDL is really good, and the ratio of LDL gto HDL is a better indicator. Also, inconceivably, some stronger statistical correlations were ignored - triglycerides and insulin for example.
Now people are swinging the other way, cholesterol is wonderful, now they'll have their turn with the unsubstantiated inferences etc.
50% of all heart attack victims have "normal" cholesterol numbers.
Hi. A dear friend of mine had a mini stroke three days ago. Reason? The wrong type of blood pressure medicine and her reluctance to use a prescribed statin. She was lucky this time.
Folks, please stay on top of these things.
Emphasis added.
ccrow Total Posts: 10055 Signature: The most important test a lifter has to pass
is the test of time.
-Jon Cole
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50% of all heart attack victims have "normal" cholesterol numbers.
That's cuz serum cholesterol is just one of many "markers" for having a potential heart attack but I'm sure you knew that already.
What I'm suggesting is that getting your "numbers" in order isn't even going to change mortality numbers. http://www.health-heart.org
Well, for one thing, that 50% statistic has been bandied around so much - anyone know where that came from?
I think that improving the profile is necessary but not sufficient.
It's unfortunate that all these years have passed since the Framingham study started and still lots of doctors look only at total cholesterol. Very few look past LDL numbers. They are acting as if they have resolved the issue and found the cure, when there's a ways to go before the problem is even well understood.
The most important test a lifter has to pass
is the test of time.
-Jon Cole
Addressing "metabolic syndrome" in total rather then the components in isolation would be a good start.
Mark it Zero.
ccrow Total Posts: 10055 Signature: The most important test a lifter has to pass
is the test of time.
-Jon Cole
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Don't miss this one. Jane Brody of the NY Times has written about her cholesterol scare and what she did to try to control it. It is so illustrative you'd almost think she did this just to set up Eades for a what-not-to-do article.
Don't miss this one!
The most important test a lifter has to pass
is the test of time.
-Jon Cole
Makes sense. Deprive the body of what it needs (fat & protein) and compensate with too much of what it doesn't (carbs) and bloodwork goes to junk.
"When [defeat] comes, I won't even notice. I'll be too busy looking good."
Laree Total Posts: 26002 Country: Z Show User Page (Blog, Gallery, Shoutbox & Buddies etc...): No Last Login IP: 162.158.63.64 Last Online: 06-15-23 User ID: 3 Login Name: ldraper Date Agreed to Rules: 12-09-10 Country: Z Occupation: Website work info_have_been_training_since: 12-31-79 Primary Training Purpose: Fitness and strength beats aging badly Real Email Address: ld@davedraper.com Homepage: davedraper.com (Rhymes with Marie) Full name: Laree Draper Gender: female
If this is the type of drivel the almighty New York Times publishes on health, what does this say about the value of their reporting on everything else? What would be the result if a truth squad took them to task on their other material as it did with cholesterol?
If this is the type of drivel the almighty New York Times publishes on health, what does this say about the value of their reporting on everything else? What would be the result if a truth squad took them to task on their other material as it did with cholesterol?
Actually I was about to say "Given the drivel the Times prints about everything else (including plagiarism, lies, etc.) should we be surprised this is being published?"
"It is not an uncommon experience for people to talk and argue a great deal about something without anybody bothering to define precisely what it is."
- Ross J.S. Hoffman
I would like to see the truth clearly before it is too late.
- Sartre
We must begin by a definition, although definition involves a mental effort and therefore repels.
- Hilaire Belloc
Edited by Steve C on 08-23-07 11:04 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
Years ago I wrote to Jane Brody, the only time I have ever felt compelled to write a columnist.
She did a piece on the second Superman movie..yep that's right. In her piece she lamented that in order for Superman to have a physical relationship with Lois Lane he had to "loose" his cape..and powers. She really dug in her feminist spurs about this. Her lament was that for a man to love a women he had to somehow be emasculated....However, she never told the whole story.
After his visit with Lois....he went to his Dad to get his cape back. Seems the cape was more of a draw, at least for Superman... A small feature of the story she forgot to include.
Like the Cholesterol piece in the Times...she has a history of coming up short with "real" meaning and less than honest appraisal of a stituation...preferring to only offer the meaning she wants to project.
I never heard back from her and have never wrote another columnist.
Art
Edited by Art V on 08-23-07 07:39 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
Shows what she knows - I always wear my cape and have never had a complaint. (It does get in the way sometimes, however).
Judge John
"You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves." - Abraham Lincoln
"I live, I lift, I ache, I am." - Dave Draper
"Moderation assures mediocrity -- nice, safe. Mediocrity is for the mediocre -- simple, okay. The intense rule; the mediocre follow." - Dave Draper
Every day innocent plants are killed by vegetarians. Help stop the slaughter. EAT MEAT!
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At the end of the day, McKendrick's bottom line is stress and cigarette smoking causes heart disease. He also considers it not actually a "disease," but instead calls it a process.
At the end of the day, McKendrick's bottom line is stress and cigarette smoking causes heart disease. He also considers it not actually a "disease," but instead calls it a process.
It's probably a process, but to me it's more like a response.
Like Oprah only girls read Brody anyway...oops didn't start a thread about Oprahs show...man I can't believe I admitted it.
Lifting in pink...my kind of gym experience...
Art
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Questions about how or if statins work is now hitting the mainstream media. Couple of snips to get your attention:
“The idea that you’re just going to lower LDL and people are going to get better, that’s too simplistic, much too simplistic,†said Dr. Eric J. Topol, a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, Calif.
and
For the second time in just over a year, a clinical trial found that LDL reduction did not translate into measurable medical benefits.
Bill Keyes Total Posts: 2558 Signature: Bill2
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At the end of the day, McKendrick's bottom line is stress and cigarette smoking causes heart disease. He also considers it not actually a "disease," but instead calls it a process.
Fwiw, my cardiologist feels that the various chemicals in treated tobacco (I used to smoke 2 to 3 to 4 cigars daily) wind up coating the arteries attracting LDL's and creating blockages. So the last cigar I had prior to my emergency quad CABG was the last cigar I've had.
Bill2
Integrity is what you do when you think nobody is watching.
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Questions about how or if statins work is now hitting the mainstream media. Couple of snips to get your attention:
“The idea that you’re just going to lower LDL and people are going to get better, that’s too simplistic, much too simplistic,†said Dr. Eric J. Topol, a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, Calif.
I guess I've been pretty fortunate with my cardiologist being progressive. He's 'numbers focused', to be sure, but just as the first steps. I need to get my total cholesterol, LDL's, triglycerides, and BP down, and HDL's up*. He views the drugs as means to knock the numbers down more quickly but not as a long term crutch.
I'm pretty tolerant towards all medications so I tend not to have negative side effects but as someone noted in the Vytorin thread (GaryE?), the intended effect of prescribed medications is continued living and the side effects are secondary.
*What he looks at is not absolutes but that people that have fatal cardiac issues tend to have numbers profiles that show high TC, high LDL, low HDL, high tri's, and high BP. People that have long, healthy existences have the opposite profiles.
Bill2
Integrity is what you do when you think nobody is watching.
Questions about how or if statins work is now hitting the mainstream media. Couple of snips to get your attention:
“The idea that you’re just going to lower LDL and people are going to get better, that’s too simplistic, much too simplistic,†said Dr. Eric J. Topol, a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, Calif.
and
For the second time in just over a year, a clinical trial found that LDL reduction did not translate into measurable medical benefits.
Cholesterol drugs are far more beneficial to those who sell/presecribe them than to those who use them.
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What about eggs?Is it safe to consume eggs on a daily basis and is there a reasonable limit(you read about some bodybuilders having like 12 eggs a day,surely this is maddness!).Can you mix the eggs in shakes or is it recommended to boil them.I use about 4 eggs a day right now.
What about eggs?Is it safe to consume eggs on a daily basis and is there a reasonable limit(you read about some bodybuilders having like 12 eggs a day,surely this is maddness!).Can you mix the eggs in shakes or is it recommended to boil them.I use about 4 eggs a day right now.
We've had a bunch of threads on this over the years.
Opinions vary on all of it.
My lab results show that eliminating egg yolks and reducing dietary cholesterol reduces my total chol. and LDL, a lot. CB posted similar experiences. Others write that dietary changes do not impact their numbers, and still others write that they think that high chol. numbers do not impact health. I think they do, so I keep mine down and minimize egg yolks and dietary chol.
A reasonable limit for whole eggs - for me, its zero. YMMV.
Can you mix eggs in shakes - sure. Break them first, because the shells are too crunchy. If you dislike yolks and dislike food poisoning, use pasteurized egg whites that you buy in a milk carton. Others argue that raw eggs are safe to eat. Not for me.
believe it or not but Bruce Lee used to mix the eggshells in his morning shakes;at least that's what I read in one of his books(the art of expressing the human body to be precise)
My raw egg days are far behind me. I can still remember the taste making me think of earthworms for some reason.
My my milk carton of egg whites suggests on the label that you use them in your protein shake. No, thanks. They are pretty good, though, as an omelet with home made salsa on top.
jej
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One thing you could do if cholesterol is a concern: Test for yourself. Life Extension has their annual blood test sale going on now; you could order two cholesterol panels. These are drawn at a local lab, with the results sent to you via Life Extension, no doctor visit required. Get one blood draw before you make any changes, then get another one in six weeks after either adding more eggs or removing eggs (depending on your current diet and what you're hoping to do... eat more eggs, for instance). This is, of course, a separate issue from eating raw eggs and the chances of salmonella.
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Thanks for posting these Laree.For many years I've been a believer in alternative medicine.When I was in my mid 20's(30yrs.ago)I used to eat an average of a dozen eggs a day and a lot of red meat and my cholesterol level was around 170.From my mid 30's to now(mid 50's)my cholesterol has been 220-240 and during that time I"ve consumed much less eggs and red meat. I've had several doctors over the years try to put me on statins but I've always declined because through the years I've read so many things like these two links posted. Yet,sometimes I do have second thoughts and wonder can it really be possible that all these educated,intelligent minds in mainstream medicine have it all wrong or are close minded? it almost defies logic.
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I have a low T4 to T3 conversion rate (or perhaps worse, a high conversion to reverse T3), meaning my thyroid doesn't function optimally. I've been paying attention to it for yes, but never knew that could be affecting total cholesterol rates.
08-23-07 10:03 AM - 
A small feature of the story she forgot to include.
