New Study: Higher Cardiac Plaque Calcification in High Intensity Athletes

FrankR said:
I’ve always had high cholesterol no matter what. Cardiologist ordered a DNA test the gene responsible for regulating it.
Sure enough it is mutated. Why in spite of being only 170lbs, good health, 40 Mg Crestor (yup 40 hurts) it could not get below 275 with LDL stubbornly high.
Put me on Repatha. 2x monthly pen injection. Its not a statin.

Wow.
It dropped immediately. He said “basically now you have the cholesterol level of a child”
Lol
*my calcium score was a 6.
You can see when i switched to the Repatha.
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I'm curious, Frank -- has your doctor referred to these persistently high LDL levels as "Familial hypercholesterolemia?" FH is pretty rare, but when nothing seems to lower a high LDL and there's a genetic component, I've got to wonder...

I'm glad that Repatha has improved things so dramatically!
 
JDurk said:
Possibly, but this is my 1st CAC test. Last labs in Sept '22 were 9 months into my new fitness routine and were improved over previous tests in Oct '21. My PCP at the time wasn't concerned about the LDL then.
Sept '22
Cholesterol = 175
LDL = 110

Oct '21
Cholesterol = 176
LDL = 115
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Since the CAC test measures calcified plaque, I'm not sure that there's much evidence for reversal. Staying the same, though, would seem like a good goal.
 
My family physician said that without changing anything to impact the course of the calcification, the "average change" is an increase of 10% per year. I don't know if that's a proven estimate or just my doc's ballpark figure. It bears mentioning that he's a general practitioner, not a lipidologist.
 
Got my cholesterol checked again on Wednesday.
Total down to 147. LDL down to 93.
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*These images are missing my October results, which I think we're total of 202 and LDL of 144.

Only change made is diet.
 
JDurk said:
Good work. Curious, are you using Labcorp, Quest, or self testing?
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The last two times I just ordered the labs on the quest website. It's like $60 for the lipid panel. My next cardiology appointment isn't until the end of April, not sure if I'll pay for it again between now and then or just wait till they order it. She was adamant about me taking a statin last time I talked to her in the beginning of November, so I picked up the pills but never took them. Wanted to make sure the numbers would go down with diet, and then take meds if still needed. But I'm hoping to stay off them.
 
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