zacl
#406
I’ve been happy with this approach. Cleaner drugs than statins. To me, it makes sense to avoid the systemic effects of statins if possible. That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to use statins if these other options weren’t available.
4 Likes
Wrong thread, but here is my answer.
Several small studies indicate C-peptide instead of insulin for HOMA-IR provides a valid and increasingly used method to assess insulin resistance but these are small studies.
One small study found no correlation between insulin-based HOMA-IR and C-peptide-based HOMA-IR estimates in 84 adults without diabetes. This suggests C-peptide may not be interchangeable with insulin for HOMA-IR assessment in this population. However, the study is limited by its small sample size
"Using C-peptide instead of insulin for HOMA-IR provides a valid and increasingly used method to assess insulin resistance.
C-peptide reflects insulin secretion and has advantages over measuring insulin for HOMA-IR.
C-peptide avoids issues with insulin assay interference and stability, especially important in insulin-treated patients.
Given the validation in multiple studies, C-peptide HOMA-IR can be considered an appropriate technique to quantify insulin resistance."
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AnUser
#408
Right now it seems insulin blood test is required to calculate HOMA-IR.
1 Like
AnUser
#409
Bill Clinton: statin, plant based diet
George Bush: statin + aspirin (2004)
Jeb Bush: atorvastatin (family history) → low LDL (62 mg/dl) (2015)
The CEO’s of different firms don’t report what they take. I’m pretty bored of talking about politicians though.
6 Likes
L_H
#410
I agree. I suspect if someone can’t get a very long way with lifestyle changed to hitting target apob in 6 months, then adding more time won’t help much.
As an adjacent example, the medical experience of getting people to radically change diet to reverse diabetes and lose weight suggests it easier doing a dramatic change than doing it incrementally. Human psychology of willpower shows that dramatic results feedback importantly.
One thing that would be useful though, is a testing (or complementary intervention) regime for each ldl pharma intervention.
So e.g. if taking ezetimibe i would test omega 3 levels and/or consume more aha (chia, flax) because it reduces absorption.A randomized trial of the effects of ezetimibe on the absorption of omega-3 fatty acids in cardiac disease patients: A pilot study - PubMed
If i were taking psk9i, i would want to track hba1c more closely and consider dietary changes, metformin . https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCGEN.118.002196
It would be very interesting to put together a comprehensive list of potential side effects. There are known unknowns with each pharma that people can track
3 Likes
Is someone here after taking a statin experiencing a lower HDL cholesterol than before?
My LDL cholesterol without any drug is 70mg/dL, wich is not that bad but not optimal. By taking a statin (example 5mg Crestor, it drops to 30 mg/dL, but it drops my HDL too, frome 55mg/dL to 40mg/dL. Is this worth it? HDL seems protective against degenerative diseases and diabetes. What do you think guys?
I have heard that HDL is beneficial only when it is lower than LDL. If HDL is higher than LDL, it is as if the LDL and HDL values are reversed. You’ll get arterial plaque building up from cholesterol going in the opposite direction.
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Generally if ldl goes down HDL also goes down and vice versa. However HDL almost always drops less than ldl so the ratio improves. On an individual level HDL is not that useful of a marker for health.
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HDL above 80 is bad for the heart.
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And some people are suggesting “Too Low” cholesterol may also be bad for other reasons…
Tim Peterson was formerly in David Sabatin’s lab studying mTOR, and now runs his own lab. (he’s talking about specific approaches to PCSK9 reduction via genetic manipulation, so not sure how generalizable this issue might be).
5 Likes
L_H
#416
And they also mention “recent studies have reported pleiotropic biological roles for PCSK9 notably in septic shock, vascular inflammation, viral infection, and cancer”
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More commentary on this paper:
3 Likes
AnUser
#418
I would probably wait either way for clinical trials to detect ACM benefit of PCSK9 LOF gene therapy unless there were no other options. That’s probably going to take one and a half decade?
lolex
#419
Sugar Cane Extract “Policosanol” Puts Toxic Statin ‘Heart Drugs’ To Shame
I’m going to try this…moving from rosuvastatin
2 Likes
Welcome! I don’t mean to be a downer to a newcomer.
Sorry, IMO policosonal doesn’t work. N=1
It is a supplement I have tried several times.
“Early studies conducted in Cuba suggested that policosanol could significantly lower total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. However, many experts have questioned the quality of these studies.”
“More rigorous studies conducted in the U.S. and elsewhere have found no significant effect of policosanol on cholesterol levels compared to placebo.”
The studies indicating it does something are mostly from Cuba and China. There are no large RCTs that I could find.
It seems to be harmless if not useful. It’s relatively inexpensive so you could give it a try.
If you read the threads there are many alternatives to statins. I don’t think policosanol is one of them.
5 Likes
L_H
#421
That’s a little out of date. Studies in Korea and Japan have recently shown a benefit to blood lipids and pressure
E g. Frontiers | Long-Term Consumption of Cuban Policosanol Lowers Central and Brachial Blood Pressure and Improves Lipid Profile With Enhancement of Lipoprotein Properties in Healthy Korean Participants
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Sorry, I am not buying. A randomized study of garbage is still garbage.
Maybe it does do something. I never had any reason to see how it affected my blood pressure. But, again there are still no good studies, and no American studies that I could find.
Policosanol would still be way down my list of things to lower my cholesterol or blood pressure.
1 Like
约瑟夫
#423
The “Experts” who have never published a paper, worked on a human medical research project and never been to that Country Medical Facilities.
AnUser
#424
Policosanol isn’t supported by any randomized controlled trials showing benefits in outcomes and safety, namely all-cause mortality, compared with rosuvastatin which has.
Forget statins. Go for the best instead. Oreos.
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