High Lipoprotein(a) but CAC Score 0

@leeosteo

@gloaming I also read that statins raise lpa?

@caroline58 , thanks for the lpa clarification. Are you taking a statin because of your elevated lpa?

I've had mildly elevated ldl cholesterol for years and my doctors have all said not to worry because my hdl is high and protecting me. My husband's cardiologist told him this week that that is no longer true. Also the only way to reduce cholesterol is with statins today.

I understand there are 4 studies underway now for a new medication that might reduce lpa. two of those studies are suppose to conclude in 2027. Have you heard anything about these studies?

@leeosteo based on what I’ve read, once she established that baseline for plaque and you go on statins, it’s not unusual to see that kind of increase of 10 to 15% per year.

The statins take the soft plaque that typically causes strokes and heart attacks and hardens. I guess when I started taking statins, the assumption was cholesterol medicine just lowered your cholesterol, but the byproduct of the statin is that it hardens and calcifies that plaque.

Because my numbers were high at the age of 42, and my LP(a) is 257, I’m making the assumption that this all goes together to have created the high CAC score.

I think over the last 10 or 15 years there’s more research and a better understanding of how statins work. The assumption was it would just stop the progression of calcium or hard plaque in my arteries, and that’s absolutely

@leeosteo Not so sure. Maybe recent studies are making this more clear, but:
https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/article/29/5/779/6439180
Here is a VERY interesting study that even suggests racial differences, and it also says that LPa is increased slightly with statins, but that some studies show otherwise (still confused?):
https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2023/09/19/10/54/an-update-on-lipoprotein-a
Only an abstract, but:
https://www.atherosclerosis-journal.com/article/S0021-9150(25)01364-4/abstract

@pamgall
hi, you may want to check back regarding the 2 x a year shot. My cardio advised me to take it, already available if approved by Medicare or other coverages. Its called Leqvio, first shot, then 2nd shot in 3 months, then 1 every 6 months following. My research on Leqvio did not convince me to take it given the feedback from users on this site, so I remain on 40 mgs of Rosuvastatin. When I retest in June, and my numbers remain low as they are not, 130 cholesterol down from 201, and ldl at 44 down from 115, i'll reconsider Leqvio providing my cardio can convince me the side effects are a non-issue, since i don't have any side effects with the statin. Hope this helps.

@71young I believe he is talking about a newer one coming out that is suppose to be better. He told me about it in November. I plan to ask him again in more detail when I go back. Thank You

@leeosteo My high Lp(a) comes from my mother's side. She was 1 of 13 children and I am one of 42 cousins from those children, and none of those relatives died from heart disease or a heart attack. I am on statins but have a high Lp(a). One of my cousins who also has a high LDL and Lp(a) has never taken statins yet is in good health in her late 70s. So I have no explanation for this but in answer to your question, I am putting in on the back burner and live as healthy a lifestyle on statins that I can until more is known about having a high Lp(a).

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.