"The more LDL, the thicker your blood."
"The more LDL, the thicker your blood."
I just did a quick Web search and found something interesting along this line and here is an excerpt:
Is Blood Like Your Waistline - The Thinner, The Better?
(content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School)
"An interesting theory proposes that watering down your blood can prevent heart disease. Don't overdo it.
The old adage "Blood is thicker than water" makes sense for family ties. For the heart and circulatory system, though, thinner, more watery blood might be better.
Some tantalizing threads of evidence suggest that people with thicker (or more viscous) blood have higher chances of developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke. Viscosity measures a fluid's resistance to flow; honey, for example, is more viscous than water. The more viscous the blood, the harder the heart must work to move it around the body and the more likely it is to form clots inside arteries and veins...
...Here's what we know about blood viscosity, how it might affect the heart and blood vessels, and what you can do to keep your blood flowing smoothly...
...Blood fats such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL, "bad" cholesterol) affect viscosity. The more LDL, the thicker your blood. The same holds true for fibrinogen, a soluble protein that can be transformed into stringy, insoluble fibrin, which forms the semi-solid base of blood clots.
Chronic inflammation increases the viscosity of blood. So do smoking, diabetes, homocysteine, the stickiness of your platelets, and, of course, your genes...
...Lab studies generally link blood viscosity with markers of heart disease. A few long-term studies have looked at its connection with heart attacks, strokes, and other manifestations of heart disease. In one European study, people with the thickest blood (highest viscosity) were more likely to develop heart disease or die over an eight-year period than those with the thinnest blood. A similar connection was seen in one of the original statin studies (along with a decrease in viscosity with long-term statin use).
Not all the research is positive, with some studies showing no connection between blood's mechanical properties and heart disease. But findings have been encouraging enough to fuel more research..."
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This is only a small part of the article. Interesting stuff! Perhaps the dietary changes I've made to reduce my LDL are having success!
And thanks, Gina. That's what I thought. I've only been taking half the recommended dose of garlic supplement.