High Lipoprotein(a) but CAC Score 0

Years ago I couldn't tolerate statins (severe GI upset) & my doctor discontinued them and suggested red yeast rice. I've been on this supplement for over 10 yrs now with no issues. I also take Cholestoff, a plant sterol/stanol supplement. My total cholesterol is borderline, slightly over 200, LDL around 115, HDL around 85 and low triglycerides. This profile is acceptable to my doctors. I recently had a cardiac screening for a procedure and had a calcium scoring test which was zero. The cardiologist had no issue with my cholesterol profile.

I've never had Lp(a) testing done.

Personally I won't go on statins. There is also a risk of diabetes with them. I live a very healthy lifestyle. Although a parent had borderline high cholesterol, she lived to be 92 and never had any coronary artery disease.

I don't believe in the "healthy fats" oxymoron. As far as I know, all saturated fat contributes to your cholesterol. The idea is to minimize saturated fats, whether "good" or "bad" ones. The idea is that if you DO use fats, use the "healthy" ones. But that's no carte blanche to overdo fats.

I've been tracking my cholesterol and dietary and supplement changes for over 15 yrs and the lowest LDL that I've ever had was when I cut out fish oil supplements. These can actually RAISE LDL cholesterol. So if you're on fish oil supplements, stop them and see if your numbers improve. I use flax meal instead, which contributes Omegas and fiber. My HDL has been great even after stopping fish oil.

My cholesterol also improved dramatically when I tried a raw plant based diet for a short period but this is not sustainable. I do not feel well on a vegetarian diet. I don't get enough protein this way and I tend to gain weight because of the heavy carbs. I do better with a meat and veggie diet.

My sister, her husband, and their 2 kids all have high cholesterol and I believe a lot of this is due to using too much oil in cooking. They roast or grill everything with copious amounts of oil on it. They use olive oil but it's still saturated fat. Fresh veggies shouldn't be coated with oil every time you eat them. Most meat or fish doesn't need to be coated with oil as it already contains fat.

Sure, the food is tastier. The kids got used to eating veggies this way so they won't eat steamed veggies.

I think they are getting too much saturated fat every day. I've read that the max should be no more than 13 gms per day of saturated fat. A tablespoon of olive oil contains this much. In addition, there's saturated fat in half and half, butter, cheese, etc. My relatives eat all of these foods without a thought. Their doctor told them to take fish oil. Fish oil will not lower cholesterol. If anything, it raises it. Yes, it has heart benefits but if your cholesterol is high, you have to manage the cholesterol.

A calcium score only shows calcified plaque. Soft plaque is the more dangerous plaque…it breaks off and causes heart attacks. Also a stress test only shows whether there is blood flow or not…it doesn’t show if there is soft plaque build up. I had passed a stress test and had a very low number of calcium score. My cardiologist assured me everything looked good. I am on a statin…but I still had a heart attack. My understanding is the only true picture is if you have imaging done…I would not be afraid of statins.

A calcium score only shows calcified plaque. Soft plaque is the more dangerous plaque…it breaks off and causes heart attacks. Also a stress test only shows whether there is blood flow or not…it doesn’t show if there is soft plaque build up. I had passed a stress test and had a very low number of calcium score. My cardiologist assured me everything looked good. I am on a statin…but I still had a heart attack. My understanding is the only true picture is if you have imaging done…I would not be afraid of statins.