I know you weren't whining Evan. Just having some fun. We've got a dinner spot picked out. Keep the Beer cold for me! Bill

Spareribs fish oil!? Yech! Well if it works . . . good luck getting the LDL down. I have a question about cholesterol that you may have some idea about. My DW's LDL is very high. But her (HDL+LDL)/HDL ratio is literally off the charts good (i.e. low). So the doctor told her that she need not worry about her LDL number. With her ratio being so low he quipped that her blood was like plaque cleaning Drano and she would never die of a clogged artery. My question is what is your understanding about LDL versus the (HDL+LDL)/HDL ratio? WebMd, not admitedly the world's best place for serious medical advice, has very conflicting commentary on this issue. In one article the author says you want a low total and a low ratio. Great, but what if the total is due almost entirely to the HDL number? Whether that is good, bad or indifferent is not so clear from the article.

You and jdmom asked a question that is in my opinion the most important one right now, or at least it seems to me. My primary care provider kept telling me, "your HDL is so high, and although you LDL is also high, your risk ratio is terrific, and no worries," so I didn't care much for it. Fast forward to recent issues and the message from the cardiologist is much different: "I wish I had seen you years earlier, as I would have had you on a statin. No matter your HDL and risk ratio, high LDL will catch up with you as you age." Men or women in your 50's, no matter your risk ratio, if the LDL is high, I doubt the HDL is "drano". Maybe it would be a good idea to have a cardiologist offer an opinion. I am not bitter over this, but if I had to do it all over again, I wish I had had these discussions with a cardiologist rather than my regular physician. It seems to me, looking back, that no one goes to a cardilogist without a referral, or until something is wrong. I'll send anyone here a check for $5 if you print this email and have your PCP read it and respond to it, if you are over 50 and have high LDL. That's how seriously I take this issue. Thanks twocat for letting me share that singular opinion, even though there are no studies to back it. Spareribs