Thanks for digging up that R-IT data! I've been waiting with baited breath for several years for AMRN to publish a smoking gun link between Lp-PLA2 and CVD/stroke risk they found in R-IT, but now I know I'm not going to get one - the data shows no correlation. Color me surprised, if not shocked - I explain below:
I'm not surprised there was very little change in Lp-PLA2 in R-IT in the V group - but a level of 134 is almost normal - sorta throws shade on my long held belief that Lp-PLA2 is a significant risk marker for CVD - perhaps it's just a marker for stroke risk? Most of these patients should have had inflamed arteries - that's part of heart disease - very odd that levels were so low at baseline - but the MO group's levels went up by 25% during the course of the trial - to me that shows disease progression, but still doesn't explain why levels were so low to start with. I would love to see a breakout of data between patients with established CVD and those who were in the trial for primary prevention (risk factors but no CVD) - wonder if the latter group, being healthier, artificially lowered the baseline number.
Interleukin-6 and hs-CRP are or can be transient responses to acute trauma or infection - 5 years ago when a tooth with an old root canal got infected, forming a massive abscess, that required pulling the tooth and installing an implant***, my hs-CRP soared from 2 to 9. I'm not concerned with those results, too many things can make them go up or down. Results for homocysteine were unremarkable for both groups, very little change - but as I wrote, I would not expect EPA to affect levels - homocysteine is almost totally controlled by the intake and absorption of several crucial B vitamins, and the body's ability to use those B's is directly related to the MTHFR gene, and I have a defective allele on that gene (it's only half functional). I take methylated forms of 3 B vitamins (6, 9, 12), but it's hard to impossible to take enough B-12 to overcome the MTHFR defect - the amount contained in DS is extremely tiny, as in 3 to 5 micrograms (6 and 9 are mg's). Several years ago I tried doubling my B-12 doses but it caused intense itching of the skin of my back - the keep you awake at night kind of insane itching, and it was not dry skin - I tried applying moisturizing creams plus almond oil several times per day - nothing worked - but the itching went away when I went back to my prior dosages. There's a medical cause for that B-12 itching but I forget what it is.
**** I saw a holistic dentist to treat that abscess - we attempted to keep the tooth with injections of ozonated water and antibiotics, but they only reduced the abscess size a little bit, tooth had to come out - that infection could have gone into my brain or heart because it had direct access to my bloodstream. When he pulled the tooth the stench was unbelievable, almost made me retch - he said there was a mass of infected tissue the size of a small gumball attached to the roots. When he walked out of the room into the hallway with his assistant to dispose of it he whispered to her "that's why we don't do root canals" - it's hard to remove all of the live tissue, and if any remains it can get infected if the root sealant leaks. In this case I had been using a wrench to try to remove a stubborn bolt from something in my shop, and when it suddenly broke free my hand snapped straight back into my mouth, smacking the gums above that front tooth with the end of the wrench - ouch! Ended up costing me $5k - implants are EXPENSIVE!!
The Thought Police: To censor and protect. Craig Bruce
