Luke Laffin

The first is that it is a genetically determined marker of cardiovascular risk that cannot be significantly modified with lifestyle changes, the second is that we do not have easily accessible or tolerable therapies to lower Lp(a) levels. The third reason is that medications that lower Lp(a) levels also lower LDL levels, so it has proven difficult to attribute clinically important effects — like a reduction in heart disease and strokes — to Lp(a) lowering alone.

The basics are still very important, and include not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, a diet of moderation, like fruits and vegetables, and regular exercise. I also would encourage you to seek the opinion of your regular physician or a cardiologist about more aggressive modification and treatment of risk factors, such as elevated LDL cholesterol and hypertension, ask his or her opinion about targeting even lower LDL cholesterol levels than they normally would in a person with your similar traditional risk factor profile, but without elevated Lp(a).