Why basic cholesterol testing may not be good enough

Basic cholesterol testing may not be enough

According to lipidologist Dr. Tara Dall, we may not be understanding our risk of heart disease and diabetes with the basic cholesterol testing that many of us have during our annual physical. Here is the video and below is our synposis.

Synopsis and Key points

Here is our take on this video…

It is better to understand your risk for diabetes and heart disease sooner rather than later

Cholesterol and HBA1C tend to diagnose disease too late in the game. By the time someone is diagnosed with a borderline or elevated cholesterol and HbA1c much valuable time that could be focused on prevention has already passed

Cholesterol is a fat that is used to make hormones and cell membranes.

Our bodies make cholesterol. We also get cholesterol from our diets. Since cholesterol and triglycerides are fats they can not travel in the bloodstream alone. It goes back to high school chemistry, oil and water don’t mix.

Lipoproteins are needed to transport cholesterol.

Lipoproteins package cholesterol and triglycerides so they can travel in the blood.

Types of lipoproteins include Chylomicrons, VLDL, IDL, LDL, and HDL. Dr,Dall does a good job explaining how cholesterol and fats are “packaged” in lipoproteins.

Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) is the major protein found on all potentially atherogenic lipoprotein particles, i.e. very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), and LDL (particles that increase the risk of plaque formation, heart disease and strokes). ApoB is strongly associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and is a better predictor than LDL.

Again, Apolipoprotein B (apoB) presents as a single molecule in all potentially atherogenic lipoprotein particles, (very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), and LDL).

A better title for this video could have been “The need to go beyond standard cholestrol and diabetes testing”. While the title statement is true, What Is Insulin Resistance: Fat around the gut? Insulin resistance was not discussed in the video.

Dr. Dall is a renowned lipidologist. She has deep knowledge in cardiac primary prevention and is a diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology.She is considered an expert on advanced lipoprotein testing and especially the role it plays in early detection of insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk. She has lectures to numerous physicians on lipidology and cardiometabolic disease. You can learn more about her work on her website, http://www.taradall.com .

This video was found on Youtube

References:

J Biomed Res. 2011 Jul; 25(4): 266–273.doi: 10.1016/S1674-8301(11)60036-5 ApoB/apoA1 is an effective predictor of coronary heart disease risk in overweight and obesityMin Lu, Qun Lu, Yong Zhang, and Gang Tian*