For many years our medical professionals and our researchers have told us that if we lower our cholesterol we will lower our risk for heart attacks. To promote this idea we have been sold the need for cholesterol lowering drugs called statins. These drugs are valued at 29 billion (with a B) dollars in sales annually. With the amount of sales we have been told that this is not a profit based recommendation it is based on the best available evidence. What the data show is actually a different story.

1. THE STATS- Statin drugs have been shown consistently to lower heart attacks by 1%. Yes 1%! What the researchers have done to manipulate the data is showing that heart attack incidence was 2% in the groups on cholesterol drugs and were 3% for those on a placebo. Now to you and me that is a 1% reduction, but if you stand to make 29 billion dollars on this drug this is a 34% reduction in heart attack risk. The difference here is in relative risk vs. absolute risk. The relative risk reduction of 34% is impressive but the absolute risk reduction is not much at all. If there were no side effects then a 1% reduction is important, but when we look at the data, the side effects are a very big deal.
2. CANCER RATES- Cholesterol drug studies are much shorter than they should be. In one of the only long term studies on statin drugs, women doubled their risk of breast cancer if they were on these medications longer than 10 years. Amazingly the authors of the study dismissed these findings because there was "no known potential biological basis." This is the height of academic arrogance. These researchers didn't understand the importance of cell membrane integrity, mitochondrial function, or liver toxicity in cancer and they just thought that cancer is simply in your genes. They don't understand the link, then they dismiss a doubling of cancer rates while on a drug that millions of women are currently taking. If this doesn't make you question the whole thing then I will continue.
3. DIABETES- A famous study on statins called the Jupiter study showed statin medications increased FATAL heart attack risk but lowered non-fatal heart attacks. The data was pooled together to hide that fact and show a positive effect on heart attacks. Another bit about that study, it was stopped early because it was said that the effects on heart attacks were too good. This is NEVER how competent research is conducted.  You have a control group and a treatment group and if the treatment group is being harmed by the study then you stop if needed. What was actually shown was that the treatment group had rising rates of diabetes. They stopped the trial early to avoid having to show an increased rate of diabetes, that is ridiculous.
4. PSYCHOLOGY- Mental health has nothing to do with cholesterol right? Numerous studies show that those with low cholesterol have higher rates of suicide, depression, and cognitive decline. In fact Diamond and Ravnskov state that:

A low serum cholesterol level has also been found to serve as a biological marker of major depression and suicidal behavior, whereas high cholesterol is protective [54–57]. In a study by Davison and Kaplan [58], the incidence of suicidal ideation among adults with mood disorders was more than 2.5-times greater in those taking statins. Moreover, several studies have shown that low cholesterol is associated with lower cognition and Alzheimer’s disease and that high cholesterol is protective.

Is all of this surprising? The pharmaceutical industry has spend billions of dollars convincing us that to solve a problem we take a pill. But what we find at the bottom of every prescription bottle is... another prescription bottle. Synthetic drugs, drugs that are foreign to our body will never make us healthy. We may need a drug to save a life but don't mistake health with survival. Pharmaceutical companies answer far more to their stock holders than to those who take their products. In the last 5 years alone the pharmaceutical industry has paid over 19 BILLION dollars in civil and criminal charges. Imagine any other industry other than tobacco that can match those stats. Yet we put our health in their hands every day.

The federal government just reversed its position on cholesterol in the diet. It was recommended for years that we keep our dietary cholesterol low but that was not based on any sound science. In mid March they stated that cholesterol is no longer a food that should be limited in the diet. I am so glad that this happened because low cholesterol recommendations did far more damage than good. The brain is where we store 25% of the cholesterol in our body, this in the form of myelin, a protective sheet around all of our nerves. Enough cannot be said to stress the importance of healthy fats and cholesterol for brain health.

If you have been recommended a statin medication or a friend or family member has, be sure they know the facts. Diet and exercise are mentioned and dismissed in the advertisements and by many physicians.  But when properly applied these two factors are always enough. For now, go out get some cholesterol...for the hell(th) of it 😉

To discuss your cardiovascular or general health contact us at 913-338-1112 or go to www.TrueHealthKC.com