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[reason]

The data here gives a fairly good idea of the bounds of the possible and plausible when lowering blood pressure and blood cholesterol, putting some numbers to the degree to which stroke risk can be reduced. Strokes occur due to breakage or blockage of blood vessels, and the roots of that lie in (a) the stiffening of blood vessels that breaks the feedback mechanisms determining blood pressure, and (b) the processes of atherosclerosis that produce fatty plaques in blood vessel walls, narrowing and weakening them.

Blood pressure medications don't address the roots of the problem, but force a lower blood pressure, which reduces the risk of rupture in weakened vessels. Lowered blood cholesterol, such as via statins, or more modern and effective approaches such as PCSK9 inhibition, reduces the pace at which atherosclerosis progresses over time by reducing the amount of damaged cholesterol in the blood stream. Again, it achieves this result not by addressing the root causes of that damage, but through a blanket lowering that happens to include the problem cholesterol molecules that feed the growth of atherosclerotic plaques. Fortunately it appears that we humans don't need anywhere as much cholesterol as we have; it is interesting to speculate on why we seem to have at least ten times as much in our bloodstreams as we need to get by.

Combining medication that lowers blood pressure with medication that lowers cholesterol reduced first-time strokes by 44 percent. Seventy-five percent of strokes are first-time strokes. High blood pressure and high cholesterol both increase the risk for stroke, the fifth leading cause of death in America. Yet it's not known whether combining drugs that lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels can protect individuals from stroke. Now, a study involving 12,705 participants from 21 countries shows that individually, drugs that lower blood pressure or cholesterol do indeed reduce stroke risk, but when combined, they offer even greater protection.

Taking daily doses of two blood pressure drugs (fixed dose candesartan and hydrochlorothiazide) along with a cholesterol-lowering drug (low-dose rosuvastatin), proved to be the most effective, cutting first-time strokes by 44 percent among patients at intermediate risk for heart disease. For those with very high blood pressure - readings 143.5 mm Hg or higher - taking 16 milligrams of candesartan plus 12.5 milligrams of hydrochlorothiazide every day reduced stroke by 42 percent. Compared with a placebo, stroke was reduced by 30 percent among participants taking daily doses of 10 milligrams of rosuvastatin.

The findings come from the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study, a large, international study focused on heart disease and stroke prevention. The average age of the participants was 66 years; 46 percent were women, and 166 strokes occurred during an average follow-up of 5.6 years. At the start of the study, the average blood pressure was 138/82 mm Hg. A normal blood pressure reading is around 120/80 mm Hg. Based on these findings, researchers are now looking at developing a single pill that produces the same effects as taking multiple pills that lower both blood pressure and cholesterol.

Link: https://newsroom.hea...-prevent-stroke

View the full article at FightAging

[Eryximachus]

Cholesterol is what differentiates plants from animals. It is used to make cell membranes.  Brains have the largest quantity of cholesterol, and humans have the largest brains. Hence, we have the largest cholesterol requirements.  Almost all models of what we "need" do not take into consideration how essential cholesterol is, and most who discuss it are not even aware of the purpose it serves.  

 

The problem for humans is we do not produce all the cholesterol we need, and dietary cholesterol is required.  Cooking cholesterol results in oxygen binding to the structure where fat is supposed to go, hence why there are "low density" lipoproteins.  That is to say, the bad lipoproteins.   The technical name is oxysterol.  A simple google search will indicate how many differing views there are.  

 

In general, avoiding calcification of arteries is easy. Avoid consuming calcium supplements and dairy products.  Cook meat to a rare temperature, or stick to sashimi grade fish and raw egg yolks.  While the necessity of cholesterol is underrated, and low levels of HDLs remain the ONLY known biological predictor of suicide, the necessity of protein is overrated.  You will note with fully predator species, like house cats, that they only consume cholesterol rich parts of animals like mice and birds by eating only the head.