1: 1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
This week, we’ve been exploring the ideas in Peter Attia‘s powerful book Outlive. Peter writes about The Four Horsemen: heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and type 2 diabetes.
All of which “build slowly over time,” he notes.
The real problem?
“Once they become established,” Peter observes, “it is often too late.”
2: Of these four chronic diseases, heart disease is the one for which we have the greatest ability to reduce our risk.
How?
First, stop (or don’t start) smoking.
Second, lower our blood pressure.
Third, we must reduce our “bad cholesterol,” which is measured by the concentration of LDL-C or apoB particles in our blood.
How low should our bad cholesterol be?
“The various treatment guidelines specify target ranges for LDL-C, typically 100 mg/dL for patients at normal risk, or 70 mg/dL for high-risk individuals,” Peter writes.
In Peter’s view, that is way too high.
“Simply put, I think we can’t lower apoB and LDL-C too much, provided there are no side effects from treatment,” he notes. We “want it as low as possible.”
We do so through a combination of diet and medication.
3: Late last year, I started taking a statin, one of the medications Peter suggests we talk to our doctors about to reduce our “bad cholesterol.”
Since then, my LDL-C has gone down from 153, which is classified as “borderline,” to 89. Much improved.
I plan to take Peter’s advice and talk further with my doctor to learn how to reduce it further.
More next week!
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Reflection: Do I know my “bad cholesterol” scores, measured by the concentration of LDL-C or apoB particles in my blood?
Action: Talk to my doctor about strategies to reduce my risk of heart disease.
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