Worrying can’t give you heart disease, suboptimal lipids certainly will.
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I certainly agree. One of the big improvements is that we’re coming out of that period that was dominated by Big Ag and the factory-like production of food that made everything taste like cardboard. For sure it hasn’t gone away but people are waking up and now we at least have more choices with Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, organic produce, Costco, etc. From the days when it was hard to find a tomato worth buying, now it’s easy - I usually get cherry tomatoes from Costco for the price/quality ratio but the brown tomatoes from Trader Joe’s are excellent. My diet is similar to yours. I use the Costco (this is not an ad) Organic Spring Salad Mix which is of a quality that would have been impossible for me to find growing up (I didn’t live on a farm).
Following the (what seems like thousands of) posts here about Cardiovascular Health, I’ve become mildly concerned about lipids. My blood panel showed slightly elevated LDL (137) but low triglycerides and everything else normal. I’m about to do another blood test and I’ll add ApoB, (ApoA1), HbA1c and maybe a one-time measure of Lp(a).
EDIT: I did add Pantethine for my LDL and thinking on trying Bergamot, we’ll see. Not ready to try statins yet (…covers head…).
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I come from a country that has the best produce in the world — yes that’s my n=1 subjective assessment but I’ve traveled quite a bit — so moving to the States was a culinary shock. These healthy foods aren’t supposed to taste like medicine, they’re supposed to taste great, but no wonder the average American is drawn to a SAD diet considering what’s out there.
Re: lipids, I’ve been paying attention to what’s supposed to move the needle not for myself but for my husband whose ldl and TG and APOB numbers are pretty bad but who has a phobia of statins for no good reason. I’ve thrown the kitchen sink at him, citrus bergamot, pantethine, berberine, French bark extract, and I’m forgetting half a dozen other compounds researched for their LDL normalizing effects. I told him if the numbers don’t improve by a ton at his next appointment (all within normal range) then he MUST get on a statin, as that would have exhausted the available “natural” options. And he didn’t argue with me.
So no, I’m no disbeliever in statins or lipid lowering medication but there’s such a thing as the law of diminishing marginal returns — which clearly the kid on this forum has not heard about.
p.s. for the record; even though his markers are terrible so far he has a CAC of zero and did extensive ultrasound checks of the main arteries when visiting the old country for just $150, zero signs of plaque or thickening. The cardiologist looked very carefully as she was concerned given his numbers for years now. He’s 45 — and his lipids have been different varieties of shit for at least 10-12 years. But has super low hsCRP levels so that’s that. Basically, it all depends, but I don’t want him to keep going with those numbers just because he’s got lucky so far.
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Not sure what you are referring to. My apoB is 39 mg/dl with 5 mg Crestor and a low saturated fat diet. I will test ezetimibe 5 mg with it. I have had no side effects, my CRP inflammation decreased as well.
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I believe @medaura is refering to adding expensive PCSK9i to your routine when your apoB is already low enough. So you get less bang for your bucket.
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Open access
Published: 24 February 2024
Mendelian randomization reveals apolipoprotein B shortens healthspan and possibly increases risk for Alzheimer’s disease
Abstract
Apolipoprotein B-100 (APOB) is a component of fat- and cholesterol-transporting molecules in the bloodstream. It is the main lipoprotein in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and has been implicated in conditions that end healthspan (the interval between birth and onset of chronic disease). However, APOB’s direct relationship with healthspan remains uncertain. With Mendelian randomization, we show that higher levels of APOB and LDL shorten healthspan in humans. Multivariable Mendelian randomization of APOB and LDL on healthspan suggests that the predominant trait accounting for the relationship is APOB.
In addition, we provide preliminary evidence that APOB increases risk for Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that ends healthspan.
If these relationships are causal, they suggest that interventions to improve healthspan in aging populations could include strategies targeting APOB. Ultimately, given that more than 44 million people currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease worldwide, such interventions are needed.
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I posted that in another thread but it didn’t get much traction which is surprising to me.
I also think people are really underestimating mendelian randomization in general. They don’t believe it’s causal it seems.
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Wait…just a sec… I’ll see if I can distract them…Look! Over there! They’re talking about finasteride!
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The future is bright. There will be so many options to decrease apoB in the future. For now we will make do with what we have.
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South Asians have the highest rates of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease amongst all ethnic groups in the world; however this risk cannot be fully explained by traditional risk factors.
For men, anxiety and depression were associated; while for women, stress was associated with common carotid intima media thickness, independent of traditional CVD risk factors, diet and physical activity.
The risk of a cardiovascular event was higher in patients with a history of social isolation (OR, 2.47), marital stress (OR, 2.28), work stress (OR, 3.2), childhood abuse (OR, 2.78), or trauma (OR, 2.67).
Atherosclerotic cardio-cerebrovascular disease (ASCVD) is often caused by chronic stress (CS).
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Being happy, having high positive valence is good in of itself. That should be the focus. Lowering apoB a lot will prolong your happiness and high positive valence states.
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So, if @RapAdmin suddenly decided to close all the threads about heart disease, lipids, cholesterol, ApoB, etc., then you guys would all end up on the Depression and mental health thread?
Not that it’s likely to happen, I think that Cardiovascular Disease is a subject that likely will outlive all of you-even those on Rapamycin. Even when you think it might be dead (a thread gets closed), it will keep coming back, like a zombie.
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Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is already solved. We have the answer.
This is no joke. It is totally true and correct. I swear to god. 
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Don’t tell me…let the suspense build…Omega 3s? I always thought Rhonda Patrick was GOD.
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I think having a real heart attack might be less painful than the constant rehash of the same information by just reordering the sequence of words. Why am I here then? Because I thought that talking about salads was more interesting than going over and over how low your ApoB or LDL should be. Heart Disease is important so please wake me when there’s something NEW to talk about. For now, I’m going to start my own Salad Thread.
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If people stop resisting the truth, then we can talk about salads.
Much more interesting things to discuss once the basics are out of the way.
ngOrge,
The pontificating is Non-Stop!
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Berberine: A Multi-Target Natural PCSK9 Inhibitor with the Potential to Treat Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease
Caroline Coppinger et al. Curr Rev Clin Exp Pharmacol. 2024. PMID: 38361373.
Abstract
Berberine is a natural product with a wide range of pharmacological effects. It has antimicrobial, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperlipidemic, neuroprotective, and cholesterol-lowering properties, among others. It has been used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for 3000 years and is generally well-tolerated with few side effects. Its main drawback is low oral bioavailability, which has hindered widespread clinical use. However, recent interest has surged with the emergence of evidence that berberine is effective in treating cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular disease via multiple mechanisms. It enhances insulin sensitivity and secretion by pancreatic β-cells in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in addition to reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-1β, TLR4 and TNF-α. These cytokines are elevated in Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are associated with positive outcomes such as improved cognition, reduced cardiovascular events, and improved glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Berberine is a natural PCSK9 inhibitor, which contributes to its hypolipidemic effects. It also increases low-density lipoprotein receptor expression, reduces intestinal cholesterol absorption, and promotes cholesterol excretion from the liver to the bile. This translates into a notable decrease in LDL cholesterol levels. High LDL cholesterol levels are associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Novel synthetic berberine derivatives are currently being developed that optimize LDL reduction, bioavailability, and other pharmacokinetic properties.
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Hi Vlasko, Just looking back at a number of your recent posts, it appears that you are just posting a number of studies without making any comments at all. I read your early explanations - here:
And here:
https://www.rapamycin.news/t/higher-ldl-cholesterol-is-associated-with-greater-longevity/12338/26?u=ng0rge
But I think it would be helpful to include some human comment to make it clear that they aren’t just being posted by a bot…especially since your public profile is hidden.
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Perhaps show him this short 
and then discuss
https://twitter.com/paddy_barrett/status/1762750170247111097?s=46&t=zJMJ1xVdRJYEDYz-DHipTw