If you listen to our weekly radio program, you know that we focus a great deal of time on heart disease or coronary artery disease (CAD). The reason is that CAD is this country's number one killer. However, an important fact is that the majority of heart disease is preventable! 

The American Heart Association (AHA) recently held its annual meeting in Anaheim, California and there were several studies that received significant attention within the medical community. One study from the University of Utah was particularly important. It was published in the November 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers followed 985 patients with severe heart disease for an average of three years. The researchers tested for levels of total cholesterol (TC), LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, and C-reactive protein (CRP). C-reactive protein is produced in the liver and high levels of it are indicative of inflammation within the body. In the past few years it has become very apparent that elevated levels of CRP, above 0.3, are closely associated with a higher risk of heart disease. 
The researchers found that the lipid levels TC, LDL, and HDL do NOT appear to be predictive of survival, but that statin therapy, regardless of lipid level, IS associated with improved survival, especially among patients with elevated C-reactive protein levels. Statin drugs (i.e. Lipitor, Mevacor, Zocor and Pravachol) are commonly prescribed for patients with elevated cholesterol. 
This means that while lipid levels may be useful in prevention, they are NOT a predictor of mortality in patients with severe heart disease. Dr. Joseph B. Muklestein and his colleagues concluded, "it's very hard to justify withholding statin therapy from patients with coronary artery disease just because they don't have high cholesterol."

WHAT ABOUT VITAMINS? 
Another presentation from the AHA meeting reported that antioxidant supplementation, including vitamins C, E, and beta carotene did not improve mortality in people at high risk for vascular disease. Many of my patients have asked me about these findings, and I will share my response with you: I don't believe that vitamin supplementation can TREAT disease, but I do feel it plays an important role in the PREVENTION of disease. For instance, natural vitamin E (d alpha-tocopherol) has been shown to be very effective in lowering elevated CRP levels. This is one of the outcomes we are researching in our clinical trial of Cooper Complete multivitamins. The initial results of this study should be available by January of next year. For more information on Cooper Complete click here: http://www.cooperaerobics.com/supplements/Overview.aspx.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS 
I would highly encourage you to get a blood lipid profile that includes the following measures:

1) Total cholesterol. It should be below 200, preferably below 180.
2) LDL cholesterol. Ideally, it should be below 120.
3) HDL cholesterol. The higher this type of cholesterol the better-above 45 in men and at least 55 in women.
4) Total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio often referred to as the "ratio" or atherogenic index. The lower the ratio, the better. For men, it should be below 4.0 and 3.5 or lower for women. Anything above 6 should be a red flag.
5) Homocysteine. Should be below 10. To listen to tips on homocysteine, click here and look under the September 2001 archives: http://staging.broadcast.com/Health_and_Fitness/Advice/drcooper/archives.stm 
6) C-reactive protein. Should be below 0.3. 

Although homocysteine and C-reactive protein are not routinely measured by most doctors, make sure to request them because your doctor can send your blood to a lab that can conduct these analyses. 

Heart disease is a multi-factorial disease. Just knowing your total cholesterol is not enough! If you have questions regarding cholesterol, please refer to my latest book, Controlling Cholesterol the Natural Way. Remember that your health is not your doctor's responsibility. It is not the government's responsibility. Your health is your responsibility. Be proactive. Don't forget that it is much easier (and less expensive) to maintain good health, than to regain it once it is lost.

Sincerely, 
Ken Cooper, M.D., M.P.H.

To learn more about Dr. Cooper and The Cooper Aerobics Center, click here: Biographies.