New LDL-P cholesterol test?

beccasalo · February 2012

Has anyone heard of the new LDL particle choesterol test? I recently had a physical and my results show that my total cholesterol (HDL-C) is totally fine, but according to the LDL-P test, my cholesterol is sky-high. Has anyone else been tested for cholesterol using this test? Has anyone had two conflicting results between the LDL-P and the more widely used HDL-C test? It is hard to find any answers about this. My doctor wants to start me on Lipitor right away, but my issue is that this new test is only done in one lab in the entire country and they have the patent on it, and there is no independent research saying this is a better indicator of heart disease risk than the HDL-C test that everyone is given. All the research is from their scientists at their lab. Anyone else have any experience with this?

Thanks!

hpsnickers1 · February 2012

buy and read:

The Great Cholesterol Con
The Cholesterol Delusion
Ignore the Awkward! How the Cholesterol Myths Are Kept Alive
Statin Drug Side Effects
The Dark Side of Statins

Oh and there is also: Lipitor: Thief of Memory. (author: Duane Graveline had two huge episodes of TGA - Transient Global Amnesia while taking Lipitor.)
http://www.spacedoc.com/ (this is his site)

Ask your doctor what kind of kick back he gets for pushing statins. The only learning most doctors get after medical school come from pharmaceutical drug salesmen. In fact tell your doctor to read these books.

No study done on statins shows any benefit to women!!!!!!!!! (only men with a history of heart disease or heart attack). Taking a statin drug will not make you live any longer (but you might get to switch out heart disease for cancer) DO NOT TAKE A STATIN DRUG!!

Sounds ot me like the Big Pharma has found another way to push statins on people that don't need them.

Meanwhile:
http://chriskresser.com/heartdisease

This web page has a list of articles.

THERE IS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN SATURATED FAT, CHOLESTEROL LEVELS, AND HEART DISEASE!!! NONE!!!

Each author has his/her own view on what causes heart disease. I think they all play a part.

hpsnickers1 · February 2012

Do your own research first. What statins drugs do is along the same lines as taking a low-dose statin (and they stop your body from producing cholesterol. Cholesterol is your body's "duct tape". And it is critical to your brain and your life.

cindyrey · February 2012

the p = PARTICLE. IT'S A BIGGER BREAK DOWN AND IF THIS PARTICLE IS GREATER THAN 1000. BEFORE YOU GO ON A STATIN YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR VIT D CHECKED IF IT IS LOW IT COULD GIVE YOU MUSCLE PAIN.

hpsnickers1 · February 2012

I just realized that I do know what LDL-P is. This is the particle size. Small dense LDL particles are not good and considered a risk factor for heart disease. Large, fluffy LDL particles are okay - possibly even beneficial - and not a risk factor for heart disease.

Get a book called Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. He discusses this at length in his book (it's a big book but you can go to the specific chapter).

Carbohydrates create the small dense particles. Fats - mainly saturated fat - create the large, fluffy particles.

Actually I'll send you to Mark's Daily Apple, too. Go to the forums and search for the Cholesterol Primer by Griff. It should be a sticky post but if not you can search the forums using "cholesterol primer" as the key words. He does a great job of explaining things.

My earlier post: taking a statin does the same thing as taking a low-dose ASPIRIN (not statin. Oops!)

beccasalo · February 2012

Thanks for all the info. I'll definitely look into it more. I want to believe my doctor is ethical and wouldn't put me on a drug just because she gets a kickback, but I don't understand why this particle test hasn't been substantiated by any major medical organization. I can't find any articles in any of the major medical journals either.

Dailly_Efforts · February 2012

I agree! I am upset with my doctor. I went in last Monday for a physical. My blood pressure is always the same 110 over 60 Excellent! I do not smoke, My lungs were great - per the doctor, I work out but need to do more,I could stand to loose 21 pounds which is why I am on here. I chose to not drink alchohol ( I would rather use up my calories in food, as well as watch the intake of sugar) my urine and blood test all came back gret except for ONE thing, HIGH cholesterol of course they want me to take a pill, no thank you. Can you prove to me my arteries are clogging up? NOoooo but the test says I have high cholesterol, I had 2 half brothers and my dad died from colon cancer, my mom died from breast cancer, BUT they ate high fat, processed foods, NO EXERCISE, I have aunts and uncles in their 90s. Everyone in my family has high cholesterol. HOW EXACTLY DOES A PILL CHANGE YOUR GENETIC MAKE UP?????? Why is it so hard to comprehend I may need to take responsibilty and make better food choices which may lead to illimateing certain foods all together as well as consistant exercise, considering my job is 95% sitting for 9 hours a day? NONE of this was discussed or taken into consideration,( just take a pill?)

kbanzhaf · February 2012

Hi,
I took Lipitor for several years, but over time developed severe leg pain, especially when I began walking. My doctor said that if the Lipitor was the cause, the pain would have developed almost immediately. However, if you go to lipitor.com, it says in some cases it can come on gradually.
Long story short, my physical several years ago indicated elevated blood sugar......I was to go back in two months to have it checked, so I flat out told my doctor I was going to quit taking the Lipitor. Less than a week later, the leg pain was completely gone. At the follow-up blood work, not only was my blood sugar still elevated, my cholesterol was high. That prompted the doctor to send me to a dietician, and thus began my weight loss journey.
After losing about 70 pounds (and maintaining around a 55-60 pound loss), my blood sugar and cholesterol were at normal levels for several years. My cholesterol last year was elevated, but I told my doctor (a different one, as my original family doctor had left the area) that I WOULD NOT take cholesterol medication again......I didn't want to feel that awful. He suggested taking four fish oil tablets each day......a month later, the level had fallen almost 30 points. That was last fall. Hard to say what my level will be when I go back for my physical.
I don't have any idea what the LDL-P test is.....I'm just telling you....I WILL NOT take a prescription cholesterol medication again.
No matter what, I know that I am healthier now than I was 10 years ago.
Kaye

beccasalo · February 2012

Hi. Thanks for the heads-up about the meds. My main issue with this is that yes, I'm technically 20 pounds overweight according to the BMI, but I consistently work out 3-4 times a week with moderately high endurance (and have been doing so my whole life, not just recently to lose weight) I eat all whole grains, low fat, hardly any dairy, I'm very active, I almost never eat fast food, and I have no history of high cholesterol or disease in my family. I'm not saying I'm perfect (obviously I'm trying to lose weight) but I'm over-all very healthy. How can one number be perfectly on target - 169 for total cholesterol - and the other number be off the charts high - over 2000 on the LDL-P - ??? I want to do the right thing for my health. I have kids and a husband who need me around, but this is just not making any sense to me. I'm very confused.

Thanks for the in-put, every one!

indrani1947 · February 2012

bump

bobbitworm · September 2012

Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LUlJE2Rqs0w

Tom Dayspring answers this question beautifully. It is correct that there is a lot of mythology and misunderstanding about lipidology, cardiovascular health, diet etc. However, your LDL-P data are important, despite what others here may suggest.

macdougall6 · May 2014

Hey--I know this is an old post, but I just got the same blood work back as you did in your original post--LDL-P over 2000 but everything else looks great. What did you end up doing and do you have any suggestions for research? Very frustrating as I eat low fat, exercise 3-4 times a week and do everything possible to be healthy-
Again, i know your original post was a few years back, so I appreciate any follow up you can give-

New LDL-P cholesterol test?

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