What is Oxidative Stress (LDL Oxidation)

What is Oxidative Stress (LDL Oxidation)

If you understand the concept of oxidative stress, you will understand why we recommend antioxidants. Oxygen causes free radicals which subsequently causes tissue and cellular damage. An unstable atherosclerotic plaque in your coronary artery which ruptures causing a heart attack is a consequence of the free radical process. It is thought that these free radicals are responsible for a variety of chronic degenerative disease, affecting premature skin aging, impaired immunity and damage to the heart, brain, eyes, ears...anywhere. This is unhealthy aging. Antioxidants (such as Vitamin A, C, E, zinc, selenium and manganese, amongst many others) help to neutralize free radicals. I have heard Dr. Oz refer to this process equivalent to the rusting of our bodies. Antioxidants can help prevent and clear up some of that rust (not overnight!).

So, now let's go back to the cholesterol issue and introduce a concept that you probably have never heard of. In all likelihood you have gone to your family doctor and had your cholesterol tested. Your doctor tells you your LDL is also known as the bad cholesterol and the HDL is your good cholesterol and will tell you what your targets should be and if it's high you should eat less fat and exercise more....sounds familiar? We all do this. What if I told you this isn't the whole story? Why do people who have perfectly low cholesterol levels still have heart attacks? The answer is because LDL cholesterol by itself is not the culprit. LDL by itself does not cause plaques to rupture in one's coronary arteries. However, if the LDL gets oxidized, this is what makes the LDL bad....really bad.

Unfortunately at this time in Canada, when you go to the lab you are having just your total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and HDL measured. In fact LDL is not even actually measured. It is a calculation based on the other parameters. Our commercial labs do not measure the oxidized LDL level. The best parameter of risk for coronary disease is the oxidized LDL/HDL ratio. In the U.S., there are labs that can perform this test. If this ratio is high, I strongly suggest a good dose of antioxidants. Lowering cholesterol with a statin medication (Lipitor, Crestor etc) will lower LDL and SLIGHTLY reduce oxidation levels which is why there are fewer heart attacks with the use of statins. Add the antioxidants and you should theoretically significantly reduce the risk. Unfortunately I haven't seen clinical trials comparing statins to antioxidants for risk reduction of coronary disease. This is exciting science that needs to be done.

I'm providing a link to Dr. Ladd McNamara's discussion regarding oxidized LDL for a little more insight into this concept. It surely opened my eyes and I can virtually guarantee your doctor knows nothing about this, but scientists have been examining this for years! Science does not necessarily get incorporated into clinical practice so quickly particularly if the pharmaceutical companies are not involved. Until comparative trials come out, I cannot recommend throwing out the statin medications, but there are very helpful other players in this game for reducing risk.