The Skeptical Cardiologist is moving to Substack
Welcome to my wheelhouse
A few days ago I sent out a newsletter to readers of The Skeptical Cardiologist blog who had indicated an interest in receiving such a thing.
The process of creating that newsletter on the SPORT trial was quite tedious using Mailerlite and thus, I have decided I will utilize Substack for my newsletters moving forward.
I’ve noticed a lot of the medical writers I most respect have moved here and I’ve been enjoying reading their observations in my email inbox rather than having to go to a website. (You can see who I follow and posts I like via Substack as well.)
I moved my 4914 newsletter subscribers to Substack (which I had only rarely been utilizing.)
If this works well for subscribers I will likely move all my ongoing new content posting to this format.
Exactly how my Substack content and my Blog content will cross-react is unclear to me but sign up and I will keep you posted. This is still a free subscription and you should not be bombarded with any ads, promotions, marketing of any kind.
You should receive approximately weekly one of my in-depth and meticulously researched looks at topics in my wheelhouse, including cardiovascular disease, nutrition, exercise, personal health monitoring devices, and music.
To mix metaphors, let me admit that my wheelhouse sometimes extends outside my lane.
In the near future I’ll be writing about fish and cardiovascular disease, bivalent COVID vaccines, and what is turning out to be a magnum opus of sorts, “Are Saturated Fats A Monolithic Evil Cartel or a Misunderstood Family : How All Saturated Fats Became The Main Target of Nutritional Guidelines.”
This format also will facilitate “chats” and podcasts…..
Skeptically Yours
-ACP
N.B. Due to a glitch in the matrix, many of you received a welcoming generic email from Substack earlier today. Apologies if this did not precede the mysterious Substack communication.
Great move! Wonderful platform! Thank you!
I’m not sure if this is the correct place, but I'mresponding to Dr Pearson’s post on statins v supplements for reducing LDL-C. Please move it if necessary.
I am in no way qualified to dispute his analysis and my only specific comment would be that the SPORT study was just for 28 days.
Drugs typically can be expected to act quickly. The effect of supplements, if any, would typically only be observed over a long period.
For example Harvard’s 'Nurses' health study' and the 'Male physicians' trial’ showed no benefit of a daily multivitamin up to 10 years but 10, 15, and 20 years showed significant reduction in cardiovascular disease, bowl cancer, and breast cancer.
In no way am I against the statins. I firmly believe everyone with elevated LDL and at risk of cardiovascular disease should be on a statin for life as the only proven safe way to reduce LDL (I know there will be some medical exceptions).
But I do have two more general comments:
Firstly, there is more to good health and a good health-span than a recommended level of LDL
Secondly, to label LDL as a single component is incorrect and to label it “bad” is misleading to the point of being dangerous.
LDL is made up of 7 sub-fractions, the first 3 (or 4?) are large particles, and not bad as such, and the last 3 have small particles and are “ bad”.
I will use myself as an example:
At 67 my LDL had always been at or below the the recommended range. I was fit and healthy and completely symptom free. With such a great LDL number I was through to the semi-finals without dropping a set!
Then I had a Coronary Calcium test. With a score of 8,500 and I was immediately but on a statin plus some other drugs and supplements. My high score was caused by my high LP(a).
Analysis of my LDL showed although it was quite low, it had significant levels of the sub-fractions 5,6,7.
After 3 years of close monitoring I had a quintuple bypass.
Now at 77 I am still fit and healthy. Importantly my LDL is actually higher than recommended for someone that’s had a CABG.
But the analysis shows zero levels of “bad” sub-fractions 5-7, and increased levels of the “good” large-particle sub-fractions.
I’m still on a statin and all other items recommended by my cardiologist. He says his warranty is still good for another 23 years, but after that I’m on my own :-)