Vitamin C and Lipoprotein(a): The Evidence For Benefit

Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the Western world, and efforts to reduce the burden of disease must be pursued constantly to avoid the tragedy of early demise and disability. An initial set of factors related to heart disease were first reported by the Framingham Study in 1961 and included smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and a family history of early heart disease in close relatives. Little has changed in that list since 1961 in the way medical students are taught (my role at two universities) and the way most practitioners approach patient screening. However, science marches on and multiple markers and causes of atherosclerosis are now known to extend beyond Framingham risks. Some experts number factors related to heart disease in the hundreds.

One of the most interesting of these is lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a), a molecule of various sizes combining an LDL cholesterol molecule and a “glycoprotein” called apo(a) that can be rich in oxidized phospholipids. Lp(a) has been shown to accumulate in human plaque. Lp(a) levels are mainly determined by genetics and are not lowered by the most popular of cholesterol therapeutics, the statins. Niacin, L-carnitine, and coQ10 can lower Lp(a). Although it is still rare to measure Lp(a) in the U.S. (although routine in mine), it is recommended as part of a cardiac evaluation by societies in Europe. I have measured Lp(a) in thousands of my preventive cardiology clinic patients over the last decade.

Read more of the original article from WorldHealth

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