NMR LipoProfile®

NIPPON MEDICAL CLINIC and THE CENTER FOR CHOLESTEROL MANAGEMENT has a new test available to you that you may want to talk to your doctor about. Thanks to new research, we understand that heart disease, or blocking of arteries, is cause by lipoprotein particles and not by cholesterol. Cholesterol and triglyceride cannot move through the artery wall unless it is carried inside a lipoprotein particle. Lipoprotein particles serve as the vehicles that transport cholesterol in the blood. These are the particles that can build up in a person's arteries and cause heart attacks.

We all know keeping your "bad" cholesterol (LDL-C) low is important. While measuring is helpful, knowing these numbers wasn't enough for all patients. No matter how much cholesterol is being carried by these lipoprotein particles, it is the number of various lipoprotein particles present that contribute to heart disease. Think of lipoproteins as cars that carry passengers along a highway, and think of the passengers as cholesterol. It's not the number of passengers that causes the traffic jam, it is the number of cars.

Consider these facts:

• According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 50% of people who have had heart attacks have had "normal" cholesterol number!
• According to the American Diabetes Association, a patient with diabetes is as likely to have a heart attack as someone who has already had a heart attack.
• People with metabolic syndrome can go on to develop type 2 diabetes, but are at risk for heart disease now.

The NMR LipoProfile® test measures the number of various lipoprotein particles present, information that is more predictive of risk for heart disease than tradition cholesterol testing. The NMR LipoProfile® test is especially important for people with certain risk factors, even if they have normal cholesterol numbers (LDL cholesterol <130 mg/dL). The NMR LipoProfile® test is most important for people who:

• Have heart disease now
• Have diabetes
• Have metabolic syndrome
• Others at risk may include people who:
• Have several risk factors (smoking, high blood pressure, family history)
• Have a family history of heart disease
• Have high cholesterol
• Are on cholesterol-lowering medications

If you fit these criteria, ask your doctor about the NMR LipoProfile® test today! For more information, visit www.lipoprofile.com.