USER SUBMITTED Q & A

Before, I answer your question I wanted to say that I am not familiar with “eazytrol” and perhaps there is another name for this product.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is produced naturally by biochemical reactions in the body and needed to maintain the basic function of all cells. CoQ10 generally acts as a catalyst in a biochemical reaction to produce energy at the cellular level. It has been found in the highest concentration in heart muscle. CoQ10 is considered a powerful antioxidant and declines in the body with age. Also, CoQ10 can be found in very small amounts in certain foods and is available as a dietary supplement. There are limited studies which suggest that CoQ10 does not have any effects on cholesterol.

Studies have shown that people with high cholesterol have lower levels of CoQ10 when compared to healthy individuals of the same age. Some of the statin medications can lower or deplete the body’s levels of CoQ10. Therefore, many physicians recommend taking CoQ10 supplements to their patients taking statin medications. Furthermore, there are some studies which show that taking CoQ10 supplements may help decrease the muscle pain sometimes associated with the statin medications,

There are good and bad dietary fats available and it is important to be informed about this in order to make healthy food choices. The good dietary fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fats also lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

The bad dietary fats are saturated and trans fats. Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL (bad) cholesterol. Trans fats were invented in the laboratory through a process to hydrogenate liquid oils to improve longer shelf life of food products. Trans fats raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol. The health risks of trans fats have caused them to be banned from use in many countries and one state and one city in the United States, California and New York City.

To eat healthy, you do not have to become a vegetarian; you do have to make healthy food choices. There are some plant foods high in saturated fats. Also, it is important to know how all of your food is cooked and processed whether you are a vegetarian or not. It is critical to read food labels and all ingredients. The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of saturated fats you eat to less than 7 percent of total daily calories. (AHA website)

In general, there are no signs or symptoms of high cholesterol. The best way to find out if you have high cholesterol is to have an examination from your physician or health care provider including fasting blood tests. The blood tests should include total cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride level.

First, you can follow a low fat, low cholesterol diet and an exercise program on a regular basis. You can try taking a fish oil (omega-3-fatty acids) supplement.

All statin drugs can possibly cause muscle pain with or without elevated CK levels (a muscle enzyme). Your doctor can stop your statin drug for a short period of time and try another statin drug, a lower dose of the statin drug, or a different class of medication that can lower cholesterol. The reason to try another statin is that there are two types of statins, fat-soluble and water-soluble. There is a theory that the fat-soluble statins can easily enter into the muscle cells to possibly cause muscle damage and the water-soluble statins do not easily get into the muscle cell. This is a hypothesis which is commonly practiced and has not been proven.

High cholesterol is one of many risk factors for atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a very complicated process which is believed to start in childhood and progresses throughout the life cycle. Atherosclerosis is a slow process and in certain people can progress rapidly in young adulthood. There are risk factors for atherosclerosis which include genetics, elevated cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke, diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity, Research has shown that improving the risk factors which can be controlled can decrease or slow the development of atherosclerosis.

According to the American Heart Association, cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States, accounting for 440,000 of the more than 2.4 million annual deaths. (AHA website)

Smoking is one of the major causes of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis can lead to coronary artery disease which can cause a heart attack, and peripheral artery disease. The risk of heart attack increases with the number of cigarettes someone smokes. There is no safe amount of cigarettes to smoke; cigarette smoking increases the risk for atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, heart attack, peripheral artery disease and stroke. The American Heart Association states that someone who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day will have twice the risk of heart attack than nonsmokers. Also, women who smoke and use birth control pills increase several times their risk of coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke compared with women who do not smoke and use birth control pills.

There are many other medical conditions increased in smokers versus nonsmokers. Some of these conditions include various types of cancer including lung, throat, and cervical to mention a few, asthma, emphysema, increase respiratory infections, increase blood clotting, gum disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), decrease good cholesterol, decrease exercise tolerance, increase risk of diabetes, and high blood pressure.

One of the best ways to decrease plaque and keep your body from depositing plaque in your arteries is to follow a low cholesterol diet, regular exercise, stop smoking (if you are a smoker), lose weight if you are overweight and speak with your physician to find out if you need medications in addition to following all of these recommendations. There are studies regarding the use of certain statins and their effects on plaques in arteries.

It sounds like you have had great results with the fish oil supplements. I believe you are asking about Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 which is usually dosed in mg (milligrams) not ml (milliliters). CoQ10 is produced naturally by biochemical reactions in the body and needed to maintain the basic function of all cells. CoQ10 generally acts as a catalyst in a biochemical reaction to produce energy at the cellular level. It has been found in the highest concentration in heart muscle. CoQ10 is considered a powerful antioxidant and declines in the body with age. Also, CoQ10 can be found in very small amounts in certain foods and is available as a dietary supplement. There are limited studies regarding the use of CoQ10 in heart failure and there are ongoing studies to establish the exact dosage and efficacy. Finally, to answer your question, there is no interaction between CoQ10 and fish oil

HDL is known as the good cholesterol which offers cardiac protection by not allowing cholesterol from depositing in arteries and actually carries fatty acids out of your body. The best way to raise your HDL level is exercise; regular exercise for 30 minutes daily (walking is one of the best forms of exercise available). There are some studies that suggest red wine (in small amounts such as 1 glass) will increase HDL levels. Also, your physician may prescribe niacin or one of the newer statins to raise HDL levels.

Well unfortunately this can all be age related. As men and women age, their cholesterol levels increase. Before menopause, women have some added protection and in general, women tend to have lower cholesterol levels than men the same age. Of course, all this information must be individualized for each person and take family history and other factors into account.

Statins is the name of a class of cholesterol lowering medications that lipitor and other brands are listed under. There are a number of statins available as generic including simvastatin, lovastatin, and pravastatin. I think it is best for you to ask your physician which generic would be best suited for your needs.

The best advice is diet, exercise and weight loss. In general, there is limited evidence regarding vitamins and dietary supplements for cholesterol and cardiovascular health. That being said, there is some limited evidence regarding the use of niacin, red yeast rice, and fish oil such as omega 3 fatty acid.

This website, Learnaboutathero.com has a great deal of information about the signs and symptoms of atherosclerosis from each expert; I highly recommend reviewing each expert's video to gain a more complete answer. It is important to remember that many diseases resulting from atherosclerosis are considered "silent diseases" because they do not have many signs and symptoms that can be detected by the patient and usually are detected by your physician or health care professional. These include hypertension, early heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Your doctor or health care professional can help you identify your risk factors and identify physical findings on a complete examination.

Yes, niacin can help lower cholesterol. Niacin is a B vitamin and at the correct dosage can be beneficial in lowering cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol. Niacin is available as prescription form or over the counter; at the dosage needed to have an effect on cholesterol there are often side effects. Some of these side effects include skin flushing, upset stomach, headache, dizziness; which are often poorly tolerated and a reason why patients stop taking niacin. Niacin can be used alone or in combination with other choloesterol lowering medications.

It is important to maintain cholesterol levels to be well within the normal range with specific detail to LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol, ensure normal blood pressure control and after a recovery period from any heart surgery to discuss with your physician starting a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.