Posted on 12/12/2008 1:18:15 PM PST by metmom
WASHINGTON — A rare genetic abnormality found in people in an insular Amish community protects them from heart disease, a discovery that could lead to new drugs to prevent heart ailments, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
About 5 percent of Old Order Amish people in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County have only one working copy rather than the normal two of a gene that makes a protein that slows the breakdown of triglycerides, a type of fat that circulates in the blood, the researchers wrote in the journal Science.
"People who have the mutation all have low triglycerides," said Toni Pollin of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, who led the study.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Just ask Jim Fixx.
My doctor didn’t even address the exercise route. I did try walking during the two months between my first and second blood tests, but not very regularly.
During that time my HDL went up, my TG dropped 20 points and my LDL went up. Doesn’t make sense.
Anyway, I bought a planner and am now tracking what I do, when, and how much. At least I’ll be able to ward off any serious objections on his part when I can show him that I AM taking this seriously. It’s not that I’m just refusing to take the medication.
My diet is not great, but that’s nothing I can do anything about right now. If he rags on me about it, I’ll challenge him to do more in finding out what I’m reacting to and see if there’s something that can be done about it.
One of the websites I checked out specifically said that high LDL is a sign of not enough exercise. I couldn’t tell you which one it is though.
Those who eschewed their TV's are rarer than strict-constructionists among the electorate. I, as a member of both groups, am an easily dismissed "extremist" minority.
“Those who eschewed their TV’s are rarer than strict-constructionists among the electorate. I, as a member of both groups, am an easily dismissed “extremist” minority.”
Pleased to meet another member of the “extremist” minority.
Gotcha....
Well, my triglycerides are really low (62) and my HDL is high, but my LDL calculates high as well. So my dr wants me on statins even though ALL my other risk factors put me in the normal to negative risk factor category.
I’d rather not, really. I’ve looked into it some but still need to see if it’s worth the risk of going on statins.
DON’T DO IT. Your numbers are great and you probably have fluffy particles which by the way can be tested. Your doctor is an idiot. /rant off
Actually, for the most part, he’s pretty cautious. He has no qualms about sending someone for tests and he finally figured out that my daughter had chronic appendicitis that way.
She did NOT have the classic symptoms of appendicitis because her appendix was not infected, but it was going and although her symptoms didn’t match he did consider it a possibility.
He’s also been good about referrals to GREAT specialists, and that’s been a big help to mr. mm and dealing with his kidney stones and osteoporosis.
I’ll see how he reacts to this.... He really is pretty reasonable even if he slips into typical doctor mode on occasion.
It’s always easier because people are lazy, but damn can we pop the pills!
Yes.
Just to be clear I mistyped - I meant to type that exercises hould raise your good (HDL) and lower the bad (LDL). sEvery study seems to indicate that. My bad LDL level is low now probably thanks to the statins — but I do have a good diet too. Exercise should help raise my good cholesterol.
FYI I have started taking regularly, in addition to the statins, Norwegian fish oil pure omega-3 (Not omega 6 or 9!), garlic supplements, no-flush niacin supplement, phytosterol and Policosanol, psyllium seed husk, and some capsules of ground up green veggies among one or two others which I can’t recall at the moment. My last blood test I had not been taking those very regularly so I hope this next test will show some improvement...
I am also interested in exploring Vitamin D. I have read mixed things. Some people swear that Vitamin D3 is an analogue to the statins. I have been taking D3 maybe 2-3 times a week because again I don’t want to cause my liver too much more stress mixing it with the statin. I always get the liver test ordered and compare it to previous results.
Oh - my doctor prescribed me a niacin tablet called NIASPAN. I don’t take it because of the flush. I had been taking the over-the-counter no-flush niacin but now I read it may possibly be problematic when mixed with statins, AND that it may have no effect at all. So I may have to man up and just take the flush effect of the NIASPAN or take the straight Niacin.
You might ask your doctor about NIASPAN as an intermediate step before taking statins.
I have a friend who swears he just takes over-the-counter niacin. He is always flush red though. But he built-up to taking a lot of it every day (I think he said he takes 2000 mg a day). He takes a baby aspirin about 30-40 minutes before the Niacin (my doctor told me to take a whole aspirin 30-40 mins before taking NIASPAN, and I’m supposed to take Aspirin everyday as part of my heart therapy anyway) and that aspirin is supposed to help alleviate the flush. They say the flush stops after a week or two of regular therapy.
I resisted the statins for years. My doctor begged me to take them and literally said “you’re gonna have a heart attack” if I didn’t change my ways. He was right. Though maybe he cursed me, I have since fired him and gone to a better doctor but I do take his advice - rarely do I eat steaks, occasionally chicken, mostly fish. I quit smoking. I take statins. All that is left is exercise.
Sorry for rambling: in short the statins, the supplements, the NIASPAN, and aspirin, and plavix, and beta blockers... All to keep my heart healthy. I may have to bid on a Chinese liver later in life if I need to :-)
Well, like I said, I’m pretty limited in the food department.
Exercise is all I have left and I’m going to keep a journal on it and see what happens.
I heard there’s a population somewhere in central Italy that also has some kind of immunity to heart disease. Does anyone have any information on that?
Like Grandpa always says, it’s all in how you choose your parents!
>> When God wants to call you home, He will. No matter what you eat or don’t eat, no matter how much you exercise or don’t, no matter what your genes say. <<
God just ‘specially likes calling home those of us who enjoy fattening foods? He really likes to call home those who enjoy taking dares on train tracks and shooting heroine.
If that's exclusively "British" then the people of Illinois and Missouri are "British" and don't know it yet.
I want a heart attack before i’d live like those people!!
I believe there are some people who always think the British spelling of a word is superior.
About the Amish and their consistent weight: They don’t drive cars - it could be a huge factor - walking.
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