Size Does Matter
Most of us are familiar with the terminology referring to cholesterol; good, bad and total cholesterol, but your next checkup may add a new count to the mix. Looking back over the last two decades we see the progression the medical profession has made in regards to the battle against heart disease. One of the most prominent weapons has been the use of testing cholesterol levels through the lipoprotein panel blood test. Now doctors are looking beyond the standard cholesterol counts, scrutinizing the LDL (bad) cholesterol counts, more specifically the count of particles that carry LDL though the blood. It is becoming alarmingly common for cardiologists to hear from a patient ``My cholesterol was fine. Why do I have heart disease``? This is where a new study published from the Raleigh North Carolina based LipoScience comes into play.
Scientists have long been aware of the fact that small, dense LDL particles can ``sneak`` into the artery wall to build up and constrict blood vessels more easily than larger particles. According to this study, LipoScience analyzed the heart health of more than 5,000 middle-aged people and tracked it for five years. Most of the participants` overall LDL was compatible with their particle counts, but some people were at a higher risk for heart disease when tests revealed their particle count was higher than their LDL predicted. For most people the standard lipoprotein panel is fine, but if you have a history of high cholesterol, family history of heart disease, or other risk factors such as smoking or obesity, your cardiologist may recommend taking the extra step and having your LDL particles looked at more closely. Talk to your cardiologist or your primary care physician for more information and to assess your possible risk.
