People with genetic mutations that have LDL cholesterol below 30 mg/dL live extremely long lives. Can we replicate this effect with drugs?
Data from large cholesterol-lowering trials using statin drugs suggests that the rate of cardiovascular events such as heart attack approaches zero if LDL cholesterol is lowered below 60 mg/dL for first-time prevention and approximately 30 mg/dL for those attempting second prevention. But is lower really better? And is it even safe to have LDL cholesterol levels that low?
We didn’t know until there were PCSK9 inhibitors invented. Are PCSK9 inhibitors safe and effective for LDL cholesterol? I will study this issue in my article video with the same name. PCSK9 is the gene that gives people such LDL cholesterol that has mutated and so has Big Pharma he thought from trying to disable PCSK9 with drugs. After a heart attack, intense to lower It seems to work better for a person whose LDL cholesterol is above 70 mg/dL than to lower it more moderately. There were less than cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke at LDL less than 30 mg/dL comparison with 70 mg/dL or more and even compared to less than 70 mg/dL. There is a persistent reduction in risk, even when starting at an average of 63 mg/dL, and lowering LDL to 21 mg/dL has been shown to significantly “offset” adverse effects.
Maybe it shouldn’t be to be very surprising because it is about the level at which we begin life. And there is another type of genetic mutation that leaf people with lifetime LDL levels around 30 mg/dL are known to live incredibly long lives. So where did we get the idea that cholesterol can be so low?
A common claim that lowering cholesterol can to be which is dangerous because of the depletion of cellular cholesterol, is not supported by evidence, and does not take into account the amazing balancing mechanisms that our bodies use. After all, this is how we developed. Until recently, most of us used to have The level of LDL is about 50 mg/dL, so it is quite normal for the human species. Lack of evidence that low or low cholesterol levels are somehow bad for us contrasts with ample evidence that lowering cholesterol reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, our number one killer.
But what about hormone production? From the body needs cholesterol for the synthesis of steroid hormones, such as adrenal hormones and sex hormones – there is concern that they are not enough. But you won’t know until you put it to the test. For decades, we’ve known that women who take cholesterol-lowering drugs don’t have problems with estrogen production and lowering cholesterol do not affects function of the adrenal glands. Also, it doesn’t to destroy testicular function due to low testosterone levels. If anything, statin drugs can improve erectile function in men, which is what you would expect from lowering cholesterol. But you’ll notice that these studies only looked at lowering LDL to 70 mg/dL or less. What about really low LDL?
In PCSK9 inhibitors, you can hand Most people have LDL below 40 mg/dl and some below 15 mg/dl! And there is even in patients with LDL concentrations below 15 mg/dL there is no evidence of adrenal, ovarian, or testicular hormone production. Risk of heart attack falls in a straight line, as LDL goes down and down, even below 10 mg/dL, for example, without safety concerns, but this is more than the duration of the effects of these drugs. The longest follow-up was for those whose LDL was kept below 30 mg/dL by using various medications. is six years
Now, we can get the consolation is that those with severe PCSK9 mutations, which cause a lifelong LDL drop of less than 20 mg/dL, remain healthy and have healthy children. Mutations affecting cholesterol are: reason the so-called “longevity syndrome”, but this does not necessarily mean that the drugs are safe. The bottom line is that we should try so that we can lower LDL cholesterol as much as possible, but whenever a new class of drugs is introduced, long-term follow-up data is needed. So far, so good, but we were alone to follow data for about 10 years. For example, we didn’t know that statins increased the risk of diabetes until decades after they were approved and exposed to millions of people. Also worth noting: PCSK9 inhibitors value about $14,000 a year.
Dr.’s comment
How can we reduce cholesterol with diet? see Trans fat, saturated fat and cholesterol: Zero upper intake.
For more information on statin drugs, see the related articles below.
