Cardiac Risk Factors Extend Beyond Cholesterol
Chris D. Meletis, ND (with permission from cpmedical.net, access pin: 587556)
Cholesterol has always taken center stage in discussions about heart health. Cholesterol, specifically high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, is clearly a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Yet, many individuals who have high cholesterol levels never have a heart attack. Similarly, people who have low cholesterol levels can die from sudden cardiac death. Furthermore, lipid peroxidation—the process by which lipids in the body are exposed to free radicals—more than cholesterol levels per se are associated with heart attacks.1
The reason for this seeming contradiction is that other factors besides cholesterol influence heart health. High levels of homocysteine and fibrinogen are as harmful as high LDL cholesterol to cardiovascular health.
Another important but often overlooked factor are cardiac arrhythmias, which is the particular heart attack risk factor that I will address in this article. Arrhythmias are disorders of the regular rhythmic beating of the heart. Approximately 2.2 million Americans are living with a common type of heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation.2
