Fact: over 2/3 of individuals with CV disease (who do not suffer MIs, but require invasive or therapeutic treatment) have LOW cholesterol (under 200, the accepted ‘norm’.)

Fact: There are a growing number of scientists, physicians, cardiologists and lipid researchers who do NOT believe in the cholesterol hypothesis. These individual’s thoughts can be researched for yourself at www.thincs.org.

Fact: Cardiovascular training, at least to an extreme degree, will NOT prevent heart disease. Period. Ask Jim Fixx. Ask Brian Maxwell. Ask Pax Beale. Ask the ‘thousands’ of marathoners who die from MIs each and every year, most before the age of 55.

As a guy who comes to this subject with nothing short of a passion, I can tell you that my bias is not against steady-state (or HIIT) cardio. Weight training is ‘better’ in my opinion at preventing heart disease, assuming the diet, supplements and genes are in order, because unlike CV training the arteries are forced to expand well beyond normal and return, much like a rubber band. The theory is that this, over time, helps develop greater elasticity in the artery, and thus it can enlarge, allow greater blood flow, and not freak out over sudden changes in blood pressure.

However, weight training isn’t the only key, and can be dangerous to some. As we all know, weight training causes massive spikes in blood pressure. This can be downright dangerous for someone with underlying heart disease, especially if they’re not breathing continually while lifting. At the Cooper Clinic here in Dallas, Dr. Conrad Earnest has measured the blood pressure of individuals engaged in full squats over 6 reps (sound familiar?) The BP readings near the end of the set near the bottom of the final rep were a staggering 400/200!! True, the ‘healthy’ body can handle this, and actually benefit from it (arterial expansion and so-forth), but the man or woman with poor genes (poor elasticity in the arteries and capillaries, high blood pressure at rest, poor blood viscosity, small particle LDL, etc.) is just begging for a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack, essentially a mini-stroke), or worse.

So, if weight training isn’t the answer…and we all know it isn’t ‘the’ answer for everything (most things, but not everything :), and clearly running marathons are no guarantee, where do we go to fight the number one killer in the United States?

Do you really want to end up the leanest, most muscular person in the graveyard?

I don’t have all the answers, of course…who am I, but a guy with questions? However, I have a few…and these few may save your life.

1. Don’t rely on one form of exercise for health. I like Dave’s approach of training hard and quickly (with minimal rest) with the weights, and moderate cardio (helps reduce stress, lactic acid…very important, and burns fat). I would ADD to that ‘recovery training’: prayer, meditation, yoga, etc. The mind and body is ONE UNIT, and must be treated as such. Skimping on the relaxation part of training is just asking for it, as ‘stress’ is one of the FEW 100% nods you’ll get from the medical community as far as ‘causes’ go when it comes to heart disease. True, they try cholesterol, but the facts wage war with the fantasy, and the truth would end up hurting Lipator sales.

2. Get the proper tests done…NOW. Especially if you have cardiovascular disease in your immediate family. If your mom or dad has had an MI, by ALL MEANS, get these tests done ASAP:

   VAP test. If there is a concern with cholesterol (other than oxidation), then it’s “Small Particle LDL Syndrome.” The smaller the LDL, the more dangerous it ‘can’ be, if oxidized. A VAP test will tell you the size of your LDL. The good news is SPLDL can be treated in most cases with physician-monitored niacin therapy. Niacin is about 4 bucks a bottle…gee, what’s Lipator? Now you know why MOST doctors don’t mention it. Sure, they’ll claim “liver problems”, but it’s hogwash. Occasionally a low-dose statin will be required, but usually this is only when you’ve already had an MI.

   hsCRP: This ‘new’ test (it has been around for years, but Nightline loves to label things as ‘new’) costs about $20 and could save your life. CRP is an inflammatory marker, one of the best we’ve found so far, that points to underlying heart disease. Fish oil helps CRP, as does (ha-ha!) exercise and stress reduction. High saturated fat intake has been linked to elevated CRP, but that doesn’t mean we have to be vegetarians. (A lot of vegetarians die from heart disease as well.)

   LP(a), Homocysteine, and Fibrinogen: These are simple tests to uncover other ‘markers’. LP(a) responds well to niacin therapy, homocysteine to simple B vitamins 6, 12 and folic acid in regulated dosages, and fibrinogen (a marker to determine how quickly your blood clots) lowers pretty quickly simply by giving blood regularly, lowering insulin levels, and (surprise), consuming a LOT of fiber and veggies. This is due to the fact that veggies (and most fiber foods) are low acid-forming foods. Alkaline foods help the blood become less prone to clot quickly, and blood clots cause more MIs than slow blockages from plaque buildup.

   Fasting Insulin: the overlooked tests of the decade!! Too much insulin will kill you in a variety of ways. Having a low insulin level (3-6) is a great way of not only helping your heart, but also helping your bodyfat levels. I’ve seen people with fasting glucose levels of 75 with MATCHING insulin levels. It’s a heart attack waiting to happen.

   Proper nutrition. Unfortunately, this varies from person to person, and the aforementioned blood markers are what I personally go on to construct a nutrition plan. The basics, however, are the same:
   - Smaller, frequent meals with low-fat proteins and low-glycemic carbs and veggies at ‘each’ meal
   - Plenty of filtered water
   - EPA/DHA (up to 6 grams a day depending on your doctor’s recommendations)
   - Low to moderate intake of starch (low is best)
   - Sugar…no way if you have CVD, in ‘modest’ amounts if you don’t
   - Plenty of alkaline-rich foods to balance out the high acid foods such as beef or chicken most bodybuilder gobble like crazy. Dave’s closer to the mark with tuna…it’s a low-acid protein. Whey isn’t, but hey… :) Balance is the key. Stay slightly alkaline. Easy to test using pH strips…just don’t worship the strip!

   Stress Tests: If you’re experiencing chest pains while exercising, please don’t ‘assume’ anything. Schedule a thallium stress test ASAP. While stress tests will NOT guarantee you don’t have heart disease, they will rule out blockages over 75-80% in nature. Under that, they won’t tell you a thing. However, they can absolutely save your life if you’re occluded and don’t know it.

   Chelation Therapy: Dogged by almost every traditional MD in the country for years, chelation may be getting its due. The NIH is funding a five-year study on chelation, based on reports (from other countries mainly) on the effectiveness of it on heart disease and cancer. The binding chemical EDTA is used intravenously and ‘grabs’ excess calcium, heavy metals, and other nasties and ‘drags’ them out of the body, much like a magnet. The treatment has already saved thousands from bypass surgery…but don’t tell anyone. Let the NIH figure it out first…assuming your billion-dollar pharmaceutical company down the street doesn’t help “fund” the ongoing research. YES, it happens, and NO, I don’t write for the X-Files. I’d be out of work, anyway. :) Of course, there’s always that job with Smallville…

   Aspirin Therapy:: Ask your doctor about simple aspirin therapy. What a cheap way to cut your MI and stroke risk by up to 50%, according to the AHA.

This post was not meant to be overly dogmatic, dramatic, or put the fear of God in you…well, a bit of fear perhaps. :) Part of my calling in life is to help people avoid what so many others have suffered through. That doesn’t mean you can’t be a bodybuilder or a runner…not at all. I merely point out that engaging in these activities is NOT the panacea cure for MIs or CVD. It takes holistic treatment and an aggressive stance to avoid the number one killer in the country. Heart disease, even genetically predisposed CVD, is almost 100% reversible according to many prominent cardiologists.

All the information above is opinions and suggestions…nothing more. Please consult a GOOD physician and work with him/her for appropriate treatments and so-forth. (My PMB clause, thank you!)

NOTE: If you have had bypass or been diagnosed with CVD, check out Pax Beale’s website: http://www.bodyfortheages.com. Pax reversed his heart disease and literally REGENERATED 75% of his heart, once deed ischemic (dead), using weight training and creatine pyruvate. His book is a great read, and at 72, he still looks fantastic.

Finally, let me clarify my cardio stance, if I may: I’m all for cardio for the reasons you and others have mentioned. You feel better, increase vascular conditioning, and there are many heart benefits. I simply state that cardio (or exercise in general) will ‘not’ save your life—nor will simply lowering your total cholesterol count. Dave was VERY wise to seek a second opinion. He is literally the poster child for SDLDL Syndrome.

Nicotinic acid…God’s cholesterol meds

Niacin (under a doctor’s supervision, as the dosages must be slowly increased to the level of a drug), unlike statins, presents no danger of cancer (as numerous studies on statins suggest), muscle pains, etc. The mild flushing you experience goes away with time and aspirin, as aspirin blocks the prostaglandins that cause the ‘niacin flush’. Liver enzymes rarely increase when one uses nicotinic acid rather than ‘extended release’ niacin, which doesn’t work anyway. (Stick to plain niacin for cholesterol management!) Niacin will lower TC ‘as’ effectively as statins while increasing HDL ‘more’ than statins, lowering triglycerides, and lowering LP(a). Pretty cool stuff.

I’d like to add one last thing to this novel-like diatribe. SUGAR can elevate cholesterol levels, primarily due to insulin’s interaction and the glycation process. Saturated fats ‘can’ increase TC, but it’s far more rare than when you combine sugar and fat together. There are entire cultures that eat beef, eggs, and milk without having issues with heart disease. We have an epidemic due to the combination of fast carbs and slow fats. Show me one healthy race of people who live on simple carbs. There are dozens that live on virtually NO carbs (even vegetables.) Still, most of us need (and like!) carbs. Plus, and this is KEY, the fat content in the beef consumed by people in native lands is ‘radically’ different in chemical structure than our supermarket, grain-fed beef. I’m not sure who forgot to tell ranchers this, but COWS EAT GRASS. Not grain. God FORBID, not other cows. GRASS!! This has change the omega 3/6 ratio from a healthy 2-4/1 to 50/1! That’s serious, and if you consume meat in quantity, I highly suggest spending extra for grass-fed beef and free-range chicken.

I’ve chosen to ‘decrease’ my saturated fats as they affect other issues of lipid chemistry, and tend to store faster on the body if your carbs are above 25% (or if you have a great metabolism, which I don’t.) In short, you can lower TC on a HIGH fat diet…I’ve seen it done a hundred times. It’s just harder to do as ‘calories’ in excess cause rises in TC, as well as the insulin issues associated with SPLDL.