Good post, Joe! I completely agree.

I did see the added information - thanks Joe, I will check out the Gueyenet link when I get a chance. The comments on Attia's site did catch my eye. Hopefully there's some more definitive info out there.

Hmm, I hadn't seen Dr. Attia's cholesterol series until now - very interesting reading and turning a lot of ideas on their heads that seem cherished in the LC/paleo world. Dr. Attia is supportive of a LC lifestyle but, as least as far as I've read in the series, he's still totally in the "LDL-P is the MAIN thing you need to worry about" camp. This did freak me out since the one time I did persuade my doctor to run an NMR test my LDL-P was 2018. This was before I got on thyroid meds though. In the post I've gotten to so far (Part VII of his series) he talks about concordance and discordance between LDL-P and LDL-C. From what I've read so far it sounds like people tend to be either concordant or discordant, and no telling which camp they fit into unless they have an NMR test.

When I had mine done my LDL-P (as I said) was 2018 and my LDL-C was 216, so that seems like a fairly concordant value. Six weeks later, after getting on Armour thyroid, my LDL-C had dropped to 124. Attia says: So this implies my LDL-P would have dropped also. I really ought to test again.

I'm not totally sure TC is irrelevant to LCers. A high TC was one thing tha alerted me to a thyroid problem and uncovered my Hashimoto's. And working on correcting that has been benficial to me. I'm reading more at Attia's site about the LDL-P issue.

However (as I read further) I see this comment from Attia: I'm having an interesting morning of reading.

Dr Thomas Dayspring strikes me as being the most knowledgable lipidologist today. Here is his view:

http://www.lipidcenter.com/pdf/Unde...pid_Profile.pdf

I do agree that we really do not know for sure exactly what causes plaque. If you look at Attia's web page and read his Personal Journey (written a year or so before his cholesterol series) he talks about large LDL particles being less harmful. I asked him about that because he is so adamant in his cholesterol series that only particle count matters. He admitted that we really do not know. Dr Tara Dall, another well know lipidologist says maybe there is an optimum size because the LDL receptors have difficulty accepting LDL particles which are too small or too large. When we have trouble clearing LDL's, they hang around too long and start to oxidize leading to plaque. Of course there is disagreement here too because some say LDL enters the artery wall, gets stuck and then begins to oxidize whereas others say LDL oxidizes first which makes it more likely to create plaque.

Update

In regards to the original subject of my post, success looks to be on the horizon. Boyfriend had his semiannual visit with his cardiologist (not his regular physician, who prescribed the Zatia). I showed the cardiologist his fantastic NMR report (run prior to taking the med). He didn't say much about the report per se, but did not present any counterarguments.
I decided to bite the bullet and ask him directly about the importance of cholesterol levels as valid risk factors (he knows my scepticism) and that I knew his personal physician was treating to a preset target number. He answered in a sort of doc-speak, roundabout way - that such targets have not been shown to reduce outcomes - (I'm not sure if he meant cardiac events or death) and that he would be fine with dropping the Ztia. We'll have to deal with the prescribing physician later, but BF is pretty convinced.

Merpig and Artbuc, I agree and that's what I got out of Attia's series. I seriously doubt I have any thyroid issues, however - none of the symptoms, can lose weight if I get my butt in gear, no coldness, etc. and my eyebrows are naturally so thin and pale I wouldn't know if they fell out completely. But things can change, can't they?

Thank you for the update. Glad everything is going well and best wishes that you and your boyfriend have a healthy New Year.
Have you read the new book by Drs Sinatra and Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth?
I haven't yet, but it has had good reviews (5*) and interviews..even Dr Oz.
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Cholest...e/dp/1592335217

Thanks, Jey. No I haven't read that one, but I have read Kendrick's book of a similar title. Thanks for letting me know about it.

Just trying to piece together what I know:

1) HDL carries LDL to the liver to be dealt with (recycled or excreted).
2) Eating LC, particularly saturated fat, boosts HDL.

So is it not possible that having a high HDL--which climbs slowly and steadily when you LC--reduces oxidized LDL even if you have a high LDL count?

Is there a test to measure LDL oxidation?