National Lipid Association

McKenney JM, Davidson MH, Jacobsen TA, et al. Final conclusions of the National Lipid Association Statin Safety Assessment Task Force. Am J Cardiol 2006 97 (suppl) 89C-94C. 

In 2006 the National Lipid Association s Statin Safety Assessment Task Force concluded that chronic liver disease and compensated liver disease are not contraindications to the use of statins, but that they are contraindicated in decompensated disease or liver failure [2, 3] see Hepatic Adverse Effects. 

A 2006 review by the National Lipid Association s Statin Safety Assessment Task Force concluded that hepatic function does not appear to be compromised by statin use and that there was no apparent link between elevations in LFTs and the development of liver toxicity. They noted that TFT monitoring may itself be of little value in the absence of other symptoms of liver toxicity, but should be performed for medicolegal reasons, as it is recommended in the product SPCs. The expert group concluded that the use of statins is not contraindicated in chronic and compensated liver disease, but that it is contraindicated in decompensated disease or liver failure [2, 3]. 

Similarly, the National Lipid Association s Statin Safety Assessment Task Force recommends that LFTs be monitored at baseline, then at 12 weeks or after a dose increase, and periodically thereafter, particularly if the patient has symptoms indicative of liver toxicity. In... 

McKenneyJM, Davidson MH, Jacobson TA, Guyton JR. Final conclusions and recommendations of the national lipid association statin safety assessment task force. Am J Cardiol 2006 97(suppC) 89C-94C... 

Standard lipid screening to obtain a cholesterol profile for the risk of cardiovascular disease routinely reports total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Cholesterol values are reported in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). Different organizations have made recommendations for normal cholesterol levels, but these must be interpreted carefully, as they are contingent on other risk conditions. For example, the recommendations for smokers or those with a family history of heart disease will be lower for someone without these conditions. The National Center for Cholesterol Education (NCEP) endorsed by the American Heart Association believes that LDL is the primary cholesterol component to determine therapy. LDL cholesterol accounts for 60—70% of blood serum cholesterol. An LDL less than 160 mg/dL is recommended for individuals with no more than one risk factor and less than 100 mg/dL for individuals with coronary heart disease. NCEP classifies HDL, which comprises between 20% and 30% of blood cholesterol, below 40 mg/dL as low. Triglycerides are an indirect measure of VLDL cholesterol. The NCEP considers a normal triglyceride level as less than 150 mg/dL. 

Although current recommended National Cholesterol Education Program/American Heart Association Step 1 or Step II diets have beneficial effects in lowering total and LDL cholesterol concentrations [190], they tend to decrease HDL cholesterol and increase TAG concentrations, thereby potentially adversely affecting coronary risk factors [191,192]. It is, therefore, imperative to identify alternative diets that can effectively modify the plasma lipid profiles and thus reduce CHD risk. 

Djousse, L., Myers, R.H., Coon, H., Arnett, D.K., Province, M.A., and Ellison, R.C. (2000) Smoking Influences the Association Between Apolipoprotein E and Lipids The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Eamily Heart Study, Lipids 35, 827-831. 

The average daily consumption of cholesterol in the United States and Canada is now about 450 mg. There appears to be ample evidence that reducing the cholesterol intake may be beneficial to a reduction in mortality from coronary heart disease. Evidence indicates that a 2-4% reduction in coronary artery disease risk may be achieved by decreasing plasma cholesterol by 1% (Lipid Research Clinics Program, 1984 Frick et al., 1987). Various agencies in the United States, Canada and many European countries have recommended that dietary cholesterol consumption be reduced to 300 mg or less. These include the American Heart Association (1988), National Research Council (1989), Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, Health and Welfare Canada (1990), European Atherosclerosis Society (1987), and the Consensus Conference, US (1985). 

With the advent of gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) an avenue was opened for the investigation of a large number of biologically active compounds not readily defined by conventional techniques of analysis. Vitamin D, however, has received very little attention in this respect and until recently remained relatively unexplored by GLC techniques. Homing and his associates at the National Institutes of Health and later at the Lipid Research Center and Department of Biochemistry of Baylor University School of Medicine were among the first to conduct extensive experiments to apply gas chomatography to the separation and identification of steroids. They found that vitamin D... 

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