Small Dense LDL

Small dense LDL is more harmful than large LDL because it is more persistent, more susceptible to damaging modification, more likely to enter the arterial wall, and more likely to promote inflammatory atherosclerotic processes. A person with a high standard LDL number may have mostly harmless large buoyant particles, while someone with a normal LDL number may have dangerous small dense particles. A small dense LDL particle count above 200 nmol/L is considered elevated. Small dense LDL is a 3x stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease than the standard LDL cholesterol measurement. Small dense LDL is three times stronger as a predictor of cardiovascular disease than standard LDL cholesterol measurement. Small dense LDL does not appear in isolation but as part of a larger cluster of metabolic abnormalities linked to coronary disease including heart attack, angina, stent implantation, bypass surgery, and sudden cardiac death. High small dense LDL particle count is linked to a broad cluster of metabolic abnormalities involving insulin, visceral fat, inflammation, triglycerides, HDL, liver metabolism, blood pressure, uric acid, gut microbial overgrowth, and endotoxin exposure. Small…