Category Archives: Cholesterol

60-year old man dies of high cholesterol

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Dr. Davis

Never saw a headline like this? Neither have I. That’s because it doesn’t happen. Cholesterol doesn’t harm, maim, or kill. It is simply used as a crude–very crude–marker. It is, in reality, a component of the body, of the cell … Continue reading →

Posted in Cholesterol, Coronary disease, Coronary plaque | 12 Comments

Why ATP-3 is B— S—

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Dr. Davis

A Heart Scan Blog reader posted the link to this very excellent presentation by Dr. David Diamond, a neuroscientist at the University of South Florida. ATP-3, or Adult Treatment Panel-3, is the set of cholesterol treatment guidelines as established by … Continue reading →

Posted in Cholesterol, Low-carb diets, Statins | 8 Comments

How far wrong can cholesterol be?

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Dr. Davis

Conventional thinking is that high LDL cholesterol causes heart disease. In this line of thinking, reducing cholesterol by cutting fat and taking statin drugs thereby reduces or eliminates risk for heart disease. Here’s an (extreme) example of just how far … Continue reading →

Posted in Calcium, Cholesterol, Coronary plaque, Heart scan | 32 Comments

Normal cholesterol panel . . . no heart disease?

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Dr. Davis

I often hear this comment: “I have a normal cholesterol panel. So I have low risk for heart disease, right?” While there’s a germ of truth in the statement, there are many exceptions. Having “normal” cholesterol values is far from … Continue reading →

Posted in Cholesterol, Heart disease prevention, Lipids, Lipoprotein(a), Lipoproteins | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Don’t be a dipstick

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Dr. Davis

If I want to know how much oil is in my car’s engine, I check the dipstick. The dipstick provides a gauge of the amount of oil in my engine. If the dipstick registers “full” because there an oil mark at one … Continue reading →

Posted in Cholesterol, Lipoprotein testing | 32 Comments

Vitamin D increased my cholesterol

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Dr. Davis

A friend told me this story. Her friend, Linda, had added vitamin D to her daily supplements. Because she’d had a vitamin D blood level of 22 ng/ml, she was taking 6000 units per day. However, Linda also had a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cholesterol, vitamin D | 37 Comments

Making sense out of lipid changes

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Dr. Davis

Maggie had been doing well on her program, enjoying favorable lipids near our 60-60-60 targets (HDL 60 mg/dl or greater, LDL 60 mg/dl or less, triglycerides 60 mg/dl or less). Last fall, her last set of values were: Total cholesterol: … Continue reading →

Posted in Cholesterol, Lipids | 9 Comments

Does high cholesterol cause heart disease?

Posted on October 3, 2008 by Dr. Davis

How often does someone develop coronary heart disease from high cholesterol alone? Believe drug industry propaganda and you’d think that everyone does. Physicians have bought into this concept also, driving the $27 billion annual sales in statin cholesterol drugs. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Cholesterol | 15 Comments

Why average cholesterol values can be so bad

Posted on August 30, 2007 by Dr. Davis

Jack had been told again and again that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his cholesterol panel. His numbers: Total cholesterol 198 mg/dl LDL cholesterol 119 mg/dl–actually below the national average (131 mg/dl). HDL 48 mg/dl–actually above the average HDL … Continue reading →

Posted in Cholesterol | 23 Comments

The cholesterol fallacy

Posted on June 29, 2006 by Dr. Davis

Evan spotted the kiosk set up in the middle of the local mall. “Free cholesterol screenings. Know your heart health!” the sign declared. It was a free cholesterol screening being offered by a local hospital. The friendly nurse behind the … Continue reading →

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