#2403

In the UK the threshold for concern about LDL-C is 3 mmol/L. On 15th Nov I did a blood test which reported 3.9 mmol/L. On 22nd Nov I did a blood test which reported 2.68 mmol/L.

I don’t fast for my blood tests. Hence they may be more variable. However, I do think labs should report how variable their results are as well as the range. If I did blood tests once a year and got 3.9 mmol/L I might do something.

Personally I am [edit to add] not entirely happy with what statins do although I would not try to discourage anyone from taking a statin. I have done in the past. However, in the last week my LDL-C dropped by about 33% and that was with me changing nothing.

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#2404

The threshold is too high too late, but I have no interest in arguing why since I have done so enough in this thread.

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#2405

RPC trials trump associations. Statins do not increase risk of dementia or alzheimers disease which means desmosterol levels may either not be significantly affected or may not matter as much.

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#2406

I don’t think those studies can rule out the association because there is so few patients that will get a desmosterol level low enough, have apoe4 allele, and have desmosterol levels supressed for long enough. But I am not overly concerned about it, I take a low dose statin with ezetimibe.

Good article I found:

#2407

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#2408

Don’t understand this quote, did you mean you are Not happy with statins? btw not trying to nitpick but wanted to know the true meaning as I value your input.

#2409

Whoops I missed out the word “not”. I am not entirely happy with statins. I don’t like the idea of inhibiting HMG -CoA reductase

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#2410

Why? Is this because of mechanistic speculations?

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#2411

Evolutionary considerations really. It has evolved to work as it does. There may be a benefit in one aspect in inhibiting it, but there is likely to be a negative. For me it was harm to memory.

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#2412

mTOR has also evolved to work as it does.
NutritionMadeSimple once theorized that higher LDL levels were beneficial during phases of starvation. Nowadays we have an abundance of food so that pathway is no longer useful for us.

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#2413

I am not a fan of permanently inhibiting mTOR. i am one for relatively infrequent Rapa dosing.

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#2414

It was those high, daily rapamycin doses that extended the lifespan of mice by up to 30%. We don’t know yet whether infrequent doses and/or low doses work to extend lifespan in dogs or humans.

#2415

Joan Mannick has presented evidence that intermittent dosing every 5 days improves lifespan in mice.

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#2416

That’s the equivalent of roughly taking rapamycin once every 1-2 months in humans. What was the dose used?

#2417

Also:

One possible strategy to decrease the side effects of chronic rapamycin treatment is to allow for frequent drug holidays, and indeed rapamycin administration for 2 weeks out of every 4 also extends life span in mice (15,16).

2 mg/kg

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#2418

Would love to read up a bit more on this (although my desmosterol was high the last time I tested), do you have any source I could look at?

Btw - what statin and what those did you settle on?

And what sore of Ez?

#2419

Not sure that is the right way to think of time translation in this context? That would eg not factor in that they were on rapa 20% of the days/the time (perhaps with mechanism of actions a higher % of the time)

#2420

Search for Peter Attia statins Alzheimer’s disease, he brings up the desmosterol connection. I think I read about BBB in a recent scientific study looking at dementia and statins link, I could try and find it if you can’t. It was in the ESC I think.

Rosuvastatin 5 mg, and Ezetimibe 10 mg, a day I will try.

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#2421

You should probably follow Dr. Attias advice and go for bempedoic acid and Ezetimibe. Unless cost is an issue.

#2422

It is not approved in EU so not possible.