My LPa is very high and I've been taking it once a day religiously and the reading actually went up a bit. My doctor advises it is generic but it is still very harmful to me. I don't know what else to do. My cholesterol (ldl and hdl) are in perfect range. I eat vegetarian and are thin framed and have low blood pressure. No other health problems except root canals
Thanks
K
Something doesn't quite add up in your email. You say your LDL is "perfect" yet the Lp(a), a subcomponent of LDL, is "very high." This makes me question the Lp(a) measurement, especially since the FDA allows labs to calculate, rather than actually measure Lp(a).
Would you mind sharing the lab, the actual numbers and the units of measurement?
Assuming your Lp(a) is abnormally high, and you do have a lot of the sticky Lp(a) in your blood, then taking Pauling's therapy (e.g. Cardio-C) is the ideal "treatment" as these nutrients are Lp(a) binding inhibitors, meaning they render the sticky Lp(a) less sticky.
She took a picture of the lab report with her phone, but the Lp(a) was not on the photo. The numbers that I can see are:
Code: Select all
HDL-C 76 mg/dl
Triglycerides 89 mg/dl
Cholesterol Total 187 mg/dl
HDL-P (total) 38.5 umol/l
Small LDL-P 356 nmol/l
LDL Size 21.2 nm
LDL-C 93 mg/dl
LDL-P 1040 nmol/l
Is the Lp(a) on that report? What lab made the measurement?
Oops forgot. The LPa is 352 nmol/L
So you are saying that 352 nmol/l out of the 1040 LDL-P is Lp(a)?
I agree that your cholesterol and triglycerides are almost perfect.
So the question is whether
A) the lab report is faulty (I haven't yet seen the Lp(a) reading as it could be calculated rather than measured) or
B) you do indeed have a genetic defect that causes you to produce abnormally high Lp(a) - even with perfect cholesterol.
If its B) your only rationale course is to stay on the Pauling therapy, which are "Lp(a) Binding Inhibitors" as the only known way to reduce the atherosclerotic risk of elevated Lp(a).
Are you a forum member? I will post this anonymously (post the numbers by hand) and johnwen may comment.
Notes: Since you are a vegetarian the amount of CoQ10 in your food is minimal. There would be no reason why they should recommend a statin drug for you (since statin drugs ELEVATE lp(a) but if they do, make sure you supplement CoQ10.
The root canal is a red flag, but your total cholesterol indicates that you are currently consuming the optimal amount of vitamin C for you as an individual.