Lecture for the laymen
Today a new lecture series started on our campus. It is designed so that the non-scientifically minded on our campus can learn about what goes on. Lectures are to be given in laymen's terms by the greatest scientists on campus. This is something that is not done very often and it's definitely not what I'm used to. But I went for a few reasons: to see how well the greats can put their discoveries in simple terms - maybe I'll learn something for my teaching future, to get more of a feel for what goes on around here myself, and because today's lecturers were two of the best scientists in the world: Mike Brown and Joe Goldstein.
These men won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in the '80's. They are huge icons on campus, naturally, and I have not yet had an opportunity to hear them talk, scientifically or otherwise. They are both trained physician-scientists, meaning they were first doctors and then started into research. They gave their story of why they started at the bench after the bedside. They included a picture of their "trigger" patient, a 6 year old girl who was suffering from familial hypercholesterolemia, a condition signified by cholesterol deposits on the skin (xanthomas) and severely high blood cholesterol levels. This is an inherited disorder, and children with the disease can often have their first heart attack by the age of 6. In the 1970's they met at the NIH, moved to UT Southwestern and here set out together to understand what caused this disorder and to see what they could do about it. 30+ years later, we have the famous statin drugs, such as Zocor, Lipitor, and Crestor. Do you take these? Thank these guys.
It's rare we actually here the whole story of scientific discoveries from start to finish, from bedside to bench to pharmacy. It was really cool today to hear just that, especially about heart disease and atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death in the world today. No, it's not cancer or AIDS - it's heart disease. It was obvious that it's highly related to our Western diet, whether there is a genetic predisposition or not. That's made even more obvious when you look at the cholesterol levels and incidence of heart attack within the Asian population. It's so low compared to the US. And yes it has gone up since McDonald's arrived in China.
Two questions developed in my mind during the lecture today. Cholesterol is present in two forms, that which we ingest from our diet, and that which is made by our own bodies from precursor molecules. If we consumed absolutely no cholesterol whatsoever in the foods we ate, our bodies would in fact make enough on their own to carry out the necessary functions. These include composing our cell membranes, deriving sex hormones, and coating our nerve cells and brain. The statin drugs work by blocking the pathway our bodies use to make their own cholesterol. Not because we make too much but rather so we can continue to eat as we do. This is a legitimate conclusion. There is a whole feedback mechanism at work in cholesterol regulation, but I won't go into it here. If you're interested, let me know. But in essence, the drugs are just a way for us to continue in our bad habits and to avoid discipline. Which is worse? Dying from heart disease or ignoring the problem to begin with? That being said, there IS great benefit for all of us when it is too late and the plaques have already started forming and for those with a genetic factor. And yes, I preach to myself too.
My second question was this: Do Mike or Joe take any of the statins?
There wasn't time for questions and answers as planned because the lecture ran late, so I didn't get to ask the first question which actually would have been different than as I stated it above. I was actually wanting to know if there is any scientific evidence for differences in the cholesterol ingested versus what is made by the body, and if one is known to have a greater benefit than the other for the necessary functions. But, I did get my answer to the second question. Mike offered the info himself that he does indeed take Lipitor. Joe does not take any of them. And the diets of these two men happened to be revealed by the man who introduced them today - Mike's favorite foods include hot dogs in New York, and Joe is a vegetarian. And Joe is skinny and Mike is, well, um how do we say it in the US? Healthy?
These men won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in the '80's. They are huge icons on campus, naturally, and I have not yet had an opportunity to hear them talk, scientifically or otherwise. They are both trained physician-scientists, meaning they were first doctors and then started into research. They gave their story of why they started at the bench after the bedside. They included a picture of their "trigger" patient, a 6 year old girl who was suffering from familial hypercholesterolemia, a condition signified by cholesterol deposits on the skin (xanthomas) and severely high blood cholesterol levels. This is an inherited disorder, and children with the disease can often have their first heart attack by the age of 6. In the 1970's they met at the NIH, moved to UT Southwestern and here set out together to understand what caused this disorder and to see what they could do about it. 30+ years later, we have the famous statin drugs, such as Zocor, Lipitor, and Crestor. Do you take these? Thank these guys.
It's rare we actually here the whole story of scientific discoveries from start to finish, from bedside to bench to pharmacy. It was really cool today to hear just that, especially about heart disease and atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death in the world today. No, it's not cancer or AIDS - it's heart disease. It was obvious that it's highly related to our Western diet, whether there is a genetic predisposition or not. That's made even more obvious when you look at the cholesterol levels and incidence of heart attack within the Asian population. It's so low compared to the US. And yes it has gone up since McDonald's arrived in China.
Two questions developed in my mind during the lecture today. Cholesterol is present in two forms, that which we ingest from our diet, and that which is made by our own bodies from precursor molecules. If we consumed absolutely no cholesterol whatsoever in the foods we ate, our bodies would in fact make enough on their own to carry out the necessary functions. These include composing our cell membranes, deriving sex hormones, and coating our nerve cells and brain. The statin drugs work by blocking the pathway our bodies use to make their own cholesterol. Not because we make too much but rather so we can continue to eat as we do. This is a legitimate conclusion. There is a whole feedback mechanism at work in cholesterol regulation, but I won't go into it here. If you're interested, let me know. But in essence, the drugs are just a way for us to continue in our bad habits and to avoid discipline. Which is worse? Dying from heart disease or ignoring the problem to begin with? That being said, there IS great benefit for all of us when it is too late and the plaques have already started forming and for those with a genetic factor. And yes, I preach to myself too.
My second question was this: Do Mike or Joe take any of the statins?
There wasn't time for questions and answers as planned because the lecture ran late, so I didn't get to ask the first question which actually would have been different than as I stated it above. I was actually wanting to know if there is any scientific evidence for differences in the cholesterol ingested versus what is made by the body, and if one is known to have a greater benefit than the other for the necessary functions. But, I did get my answer to the second question. Mike offered the info himself that he does indeed take Lipitor. Joe does not take any of them. And the diets of these two men happened to be revealed by the man who introduced them today - Mike's favorite foods include hot dogs in New York, and Joe is a vegetarian. And Joe is skinny and Mike is, well, um how do we say it in the US? Healthy?
posted by Karen at 6/06/2005 09:47:00 PM
4 Comments:
Hey, what is this "cholesterol" you speak of??? Are you trying to tell me the cup of lard I eat as a midnight snack isn't good for me? Question: Are the effects of the -statins and the effects of the "fat-blockers" comparable?(the drugs that can cause abdominal cramping and greasy, um, discharge (I realize not everyone that reads this is in the medical community, but that's as gently as I could think to put it)) Did that make sense? Let me know if it didn't -- we'll talk...
P.S. I'm thinking about starting a blog -- but I need to find a faster internet connection and a digital camera. I think text-only blogs would be less interesting...
I think the fat blocking drugs should receive the same criticisms as those for lowering cholesterol, although the way they work is completely different. Fat blockers work by blocking the enzyme lipase which is responsible for breaking down fats. Fats are broken down in the intestine into small enough bits to be absorbed by the intestine, and thus used or stored by your body. When they are no longer broken down and are too big to be absorbed, then they are discarded, or "discharged." So what does this do? Some people latch onto this as the excuse to go ahead and eat as much fat as they want to. I'll just take a pill, and it won't hurt me. HA! There are many vitamins that require fats in order to be absorbed, such as A, D, E, and K. If you block your body from absorbing fat, chances are you will become vitamin-deficient as well, which can lead to many other problems.
And just for knowledge sake, foods high in fat are often also high in cholesterol. I may end up blogging about the whole cholesterol feedback pathway anyway, even though most of my readers are not of the scientific community. Just because it is really cool, and there is some interesting data to present involving newborn cholesterol levels versus Asian and American adults.
I would love to hear more. This is very interesting to me.
Becca
Karen, the colesterol info is very interesting to me also. I would like to hear more as well. I am glad you were able to hear these guys speak. Is there something we can read about them?
Mom
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