A Hidden Risk for Plaque Formation

What if I told you that even with your “normal” lab work you could be at increased risk of a stroke, heart attack or peripheral vascular disease and not even know it?! There is ONE marker that if elevated tips you off that thanks to your genetics, even with “normal” labs you are at risk. This is a simple blood test done thru any regular lab and can be ordered by any physician but chances are even your cardiologist is not looking at this. I have been measuring this marker for the past 18 years so this has been available that long but only recently are we starting to see studies in traditional journals raising awareness of the need to screen for this.

When this marker is elevated studies show an increased risk of developing plaque in the following areas as much or even more than your heart…

Carotid arteries
Peripheral vascular – vessels in your legs leading that develop plaque and cause pain when walking, increased risk of blood clots ultimately leading to stroke
Brain – contributing to dementia
May increase the risk of diabetic retinopathy in people with diabetes leading to vision loss

Even when I show my patients’ they have this elevated marker and tell them what it means, their own cardiologists are telling them they are fine. But they aren’t.

READ ON to learn what marker you need to test and what to do about it…

Let’s cut to the chase. The test is Lipoprotein (a), called literally L ..P.. little a or you may see it written as lp(a). Studies show that elevated Lp(a) has a 38% increased risk of atherosclerosis regardless of the cholesterol levels. Let me put this in another way. Even if the LDL were “normal” they were still at risk of significant plaque not just in your heart but other areas like I mentioned before. Studies also show if you can reduce Lp(a) by 35mg/dl then it will decrease the risk of peripheral vascular disease by 18% and the incident of carotid artery stenosis by 17%.

So, if Lp(a) is such a bad guy then why don’t we lower it? This has proven to be very difficult as there are no drugs available right now that lower this marker. In fact, a few of the statins may actually raise the marker. A meta-analysis of studies indicated that decreasing LDL with statin therapy did not lower the cardiovascular risk in people who had elevated Lp(a). Niacin has been clinically shown to lower Lp(a) by as much as 25%, but even with high dose niacin therapy it did not alter the risk of cardiac events, either. There are phase three trials going on right now with new medications targeting this marker but what do we do in the meantime?

First, you need to know if you have an elevated lp(a) because everything else in your body needs to be optimized. Measure it! If it is high or in the low range then you won’t need to test again. If it is in the borderline range or on the high end of normal you may want to follow this marker to see if it increases especially when you go thru major hormonal shifts like menopause or andropause.
Work on getting your LDL levels down below 70 and have optimal triglycerides. By doing this you are decreasing other risks of atherosclerosis.
Lose that extra weight because we know that fat cells are inflammatory and when we have increased inflammation there is increased risk of atherosclerosis.
Work on your blood sugars. The higher the sugar the more inflammation you have. Basically, inflammation creates barbs for cholesterol to adhere and start the plaque formation.
Supplements to consider:
1. Coenzyme Q
2. Flax seed (whole flax seed ground up and if helpful with doses less than 30 grams/day)- there was a nice study showing this!)
3. L-carnitine
4. Curcumin
5. Resveratrol
Proactive screening. Schedule a calcium heart score to see how much plaque you have in your heart arteries and follow this every 2-3 years. But, since Lp(a) is a risk marker for plaque all over don’t forget to do screenings of your carotids, aorta, legs, etc and you can do all of this with a Lifeline ultrasound screen.