Dr. James Underberg
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology
New York, NY
37 years experience male
Locations
Bellevue Hospital Lipid Clinic
New York, NY
Insurances accepted
Aetna
Cigna
Oxford Health Plans
United HealthCare Insurance Company
Medicare
Office
New York, NY
About
Bio
Dr. Underberg is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at NYU Medical School and is a member of the executive committee of the Division of General Internal Medicine. His clinical focus is Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine. He is an American Society of Hypertension Certified Specialist in Clinical Hypertension, a fellow of the Society for Vascular Medicine & Biology, and a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner. Dr. Underberg is the founder and President of the New York Preventive Cardiovascular Society and a member of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Chapter of the National Lipid Association. He graduated from Yale University with a BS and MS and from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. His internship and residency were completed at Bellevue Hospital Medical Center. He is currently involved in several clinical trials in the areas of hypertension, lipids, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Underberg?s Clinical Practice was recently awarded recognition by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and the National Committee for Quality Assurance Heart-Stroke Recognition Program and the American Diabetes Association Diabetes Prevention Program. He sees patients both in his private referral practice and in the Bellevue Hospital Lipid Clinic.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology
Internal Medicine
Doctor Q&A
132 Answers
75 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 43-year-old male asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Depends on cause: Patients with genetically determined low cholesterol levels (inherited) seem to do just fine , assuming all else is ok. They have no neurologic probl... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Indirectly: Accutane incresases levels of a protein called apociii , which is an inhibtior of another protein apocii. Apo cii is the binding site for an important... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Unclear: While a relationship exists between some of the "second generation anti-psychotic medications, the link between anti-depressents & abnormal lipids is ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
1 comment
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Heart & Pancreatitis: Increased lipids(cholesterol) , & what we call atherogenic lipoproteins (which contain cholesterol & triglycerides) in excess can deposit in the arte... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Many causes: Hypothyroidism (an under-active thyroid) can cause elevated triglycerides (tg's). Many other things, however can also cause high tg's. Common causes a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old female asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Suspect the cooking: Shellfish do contain cholesterol, but if prepared in a heart-healthy way , avoiding deep frying and saturated fats/butter etc probably will not signif... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old male asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Concerning: Low HDL in the setting of an elevated LDL cholesterol are both risk factors for heart disease. Seen together like this, they do need to be addressed. ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Preferably no: Non-fasting lipid testing can yield useful data. The non-hdl cholesterol level (total - hdl) does not have to be done fasting. In addition, more advan... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 52-year-old female asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Yes it is: The traditional model is one called autosomal co-dominant , meaning that if a parent has a single gene for this condition there is a 50% chance it wil... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Depends: For lowering triglycerides 2-4 gms/day. For "heart health" the american heart association recommends eating several portions a week of fish containing... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Many ways: Weight loss, exercise and smoking cessation all can increase HDL levels. While drugs can raise hdl, there is no indication to use meds to raise hdl, a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Carriers of Lipids: Lipids are fats. They do not travel freely in the blood stream, as blood is like water and water & fat do not mix. Lipids (cholesterol and triglycerid... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Read Labels !: Fish oils contain several substances including the active ingredients epa and dha. Many products list dose based on total fish oil, when actual epa an... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old male asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Can't know: Simvastatin, while indicated to raise HDL cholesterol should not be used to increase HDL . Hdl of 48 and 56 are normal levels. Simvastatin is used to ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 19-year-old male asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
LDL is not End ALL: Patients with heart disease and atherosclerosis in the us today are doing it with low or normal LDL cholesterol levels. (see get with the guidelines s... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Much debated: There are many claims regarding the beneficial effects of fish oils, but there are few randomized blinded clinical trials testing these observational... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 55-year-old female asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Buyer Beware: Red rice yeast products (rry) are not regulated by the fda. Active rry contains a naturally occurring form of statin that lowers cholesterol, but has ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old female asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Never so simple: Traditionally we view LDL cholesterol as "bad" and HDL as "good. Vldl , LDL and HDL are particles or carriers that transport cholesterol and triglyce... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 54-year-old male asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
LDL-P is low: Given the low LDL cholesterol level, an low total LDL particle number, on the surface this profile looks desirable. The low HDL cholesterol level is c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Concerns: Need to see a doctor. Elevated blood sugar, fasting, along with elelvated cholesterol are both risk factors for heart disease. Diabetes or pre-diabete... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Depends on Cause : Low sugar for most however, for some patients with genetic (inherited) causes of elevated triglycerides (tg's) a low fat diet makes more sense. Low su... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Not safe: Lescol (fluvastatin) is a statin, and these are listed as pregnancy category x, reported to cause limb deformities , especially if taken during the fi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Pregnancy & high BP: Uncontrolled hypertension during pregnancy can adversely impact the mother & the fetus, and it is the most common medical disorder encountered during ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Reduction : Reduce intake of saturated fats and cholesterol. Avoid coconut oil, milk as they contain lauric acid which can raise cholesterol. Increase fiber, and... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years agoMerged
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Increased Heart Risk: High cholesterol is associated with increased risk of heart disease in men and women.
Cholesterol needs to be evaluated in the context of other risk... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
One does not fit all: Low cholesterol diets are typically diets restricted in total daily cholesterol intake. <300 mg/day or in more severe cases <200 mg/day. However, many... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Hard to tell: High HDL the "good cholesterol" so more should be better.... This is true for groups of patients. For individuals, it is less clear. High HDL levels c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 52-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
HDL is not HDLc: High HDL probably refers to hdl-c which means HDL cholesterol. While having high HDL c levels is good for groups of patients, we are not sure what it ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Yes it does : But, not as much as many think. Often the problems exists within the preparation. Fried/deep fried or served with butter and heavy sauces can be more ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
See a Doctor: There are many genetic or inherited conditions that can lead to high cholesterol and or high triglycerides. It is important to see a doctor who unders... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Perhaps High TG's: Patients with high triglyceride (tg's) levels often have increased levels of vldl with low or normal LDL levels. Tg's in vldl move into LDL and in ret... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Depends on the level: Patients with very high triglycerides (tg's) >500 are at risk for pancreatitis, which usually presents with abdominal pain , fever, nausea and vomitin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Diabetes Insulin LPL: Patients with diabetes, Insulin resistance and or high triglycerides often have changes in lipoprotein lipase levels, driving the exchange of triglyce... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old female asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Targeting TG's: The recommendations are to treat triglycerides >500 to lower the risk of pancreatitis. Statins (such as lipitor) can be used to lower tg's, but can al... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Very High-Evaluate: In general high HDL cholesterol is good. Very high levels, at least need to be evaluated to better understand if this HDL is "functional" and doing wh... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old male asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
More of a riks: For populations of patients the risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis increases by 2-3% for 1% drop in hdl, but only 1/1 with LDL raising. Thus th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years agoMerged
A member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Done in a lab: Hdl is a general term for either hdl-cholesterol or HDL particle number. Both of these are blood tests, often done with other types of cholesterol , l... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Abetalipoprotinemia: A rare genetic condition causing low ldl, and triglyceride levels, due to a deficiency in an enzyme called "mtp" . Usually presents early in life wit... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Perhaps: "normal" triglyceride levels are considered <150 mg./dl. For those with levels >500 we worry about increased risk of pancreatitis. For those between 1... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
NOT TOGETHER: Do not use Simvastatin and Gemfibrozil together. Gemfibrozil increases the availability of simvastatin, and can when used together increase the risk o... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old female asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Causes of low LDL: Low LDL and total cholesterol can have many causes. If with diarrhea, can be from deficiency in enzyme called mtp, or called abetalipoprotinemia. This... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old female asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Unclear: Not sure how a vap test , which measures cholesterol subtractions will add to this, however not knowing your complete medical history is hard to comme... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Depends on Cause: High triglycerides (tg's) are the most common cause of low HDL cholesterol. Obesity , pre diabetes, diabetes, "insulin resistance" and high carb diets... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Yes and No: Vldl (very low density cholesterol) is made in the liver, and contains both triglycerides (tg's) and cholesterol ( more tg's than cholesterol). Ldl is... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Depends : Just published in the new england journal of medicine this week showed med. Diet with olive oil/nuts was better at preventing cardiovascular events t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Depends how high : Lowering ldl-cholesterol ( ldl-c) can be accomplished in many different ways. Depending on level & cause would determine the methods suggested to lowe... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
HighSchool too late: Both the national lipid association and the national heart lung & blood institute recommend screening at age 9-11 to detect inherited (genetic) choles... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Depends: Reducton in cholesterol containing foods can lower cholesterol for some people. Also weight loss can be associated with improved lipids. However< incr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old female asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
High Cholesterol: Very high cholesterol is most likely related to a genetic cause that can increase the risk of heart disease. Familial hypercholesterolemia (fh) can be... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. James Underberganswered
Internal Medicine Clinical Lipidology 37 years experience
Possibly: Some coconut water products may contain small amounts of lauric acid which can raise cholesterol. Not nearly as much as coconut oil or milk, however ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
5
Recommendations
304
Thank you notes
Mar 7, 2013
Dr. Underberg is a leader in identifying and treating the lipid abnormalities that cause heart disease - the number 1 cause of death in the US
Mar 7, 2013
Dr. Underberg is a national leader in the evaluation and management of lipid disorders and hypertension. He gets my highest recommendation!
May 19, 2013
Veery accurate and worthwhile answers.
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! My LDL = 63 with total chlosterol at 135. I thought that was getting too low to still take atorvastatin 10 mg anymore.
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Thank you for the info. I appreciate everything I'm learning from you
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! Is crestor 10mg enough for tg 220 and above?
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, PA
Graduated 1986MD
Residency
NYU HOSPITALS CENTER
Residency
BELLEVUE HOSPITAL CENTER
Awards
NYU School of Medicine Clinical Teaching Award 2010
NY Magazine Best Doctors 2011
Top General Internist, Third Place, New York - Winter
2013
Affiliations
NYU School of Medicine
NYU Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular DIsease
Bellevue Hospital Medical Center
Publications
The role of mipomersen therapy in the treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia
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