With all the negative media associated with Cholesterol in the last 20 years, more and more research is proving that Cholesterol is not the demon behind heart attack and arterial disease as was once thought. Instead it is being show as propaganda from drug companies protecting a 34 billion dollar a year industry.
One of The Most Damaging Myths in Medical History
Cholesterol has been blamed for heart disease, when in fact inflammation is the true culprit. Cholesterol is produced because cells need it to form in order to repair the damage. A person in chronic state of inflammation has a higher risk of heart attack.
David Getoff on Cholesterol, eggs, saturated fats, starch, and other foods.
The Great Cholesterol Myth authors Jonny Bowden, Ph.D. and cardiologist Stephen Sinatra state: “We believe that a weird combination of misinformation, questionable studies, corporate greed, and deceptive marketing has conspired to create one of the most damaging myths in medical history: that cholesterol causes heart disease.”
Reviewing the data of numerous studies, Bowden and Sinatra found that cholesterol levels are not a good predictor of heart attacks; half of the people who have heart attacks have normal cholesterol; half of the people with high cholesterol have healthy hearts; keeping cholesterol levels low has few benefits. The Framingham Heart Study, which began in 1948 and continues to this day, distinctly shows that those who lived the longest were inclined to be in the highest cholesterol category.
The Lyon diet-heart study
Another study presents startling evidence regarding the role diet plays in heart health. Researchers in France during the 1990s decided to observe the effect different diets have on heart disease. Two groups of high-risk men participated. All had survived heart attacks. Everyone had high cholesterol and stressful lifestyles. They also smoked and did not exercise. One group was asked to eat the American Heart Association diet which is low in fat and cholesterol. The second group ate a Mediterranean diet, rich in fish, omega-3 fatty acids, vegetables, and olive oil.
The study ended early because the results of the Mediterranean diet were so striking. Those in this group had a 70 percent reduction in fatal heart attacks, yet their high cholesterol levels remained the same throughout the study. They simply stopped dying.
As observed by Bowen in Better Nutrition magazine: “The tragedy is that by putting all our attention on cholesterol, we’ve ignored the real causes of heart disease: inflammation, oxidation, stress, and sugar. Things we can actually control with foods, supplements and lifestyle changes – none of which have the costs or side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.”
As noted by Dr. Frank Lipman in the featured article:2
“[T]he medical profession is obsessed with lowering your cholesterol because of misguided theories about cholesterol and heart disease. Why would we want to lower it when the research3 actually shows that three-quarters of people having a first heart attack have normal cholesterol levels, and when data over 30 years from the well-known Framingham Heart Study4 showed that in most age groups, high cholesterol wasn’t associated with more deaths?
In fact, for older people, deaths were more common with low cholesterol. The research is clear – statins are being prescribed based on an incorrect hypothesis, and they are not harmless.”
In his article, Dr. Lipman discusses seven things you need to know when you have a talk with your doctor about your cholesterol level. For starters, it’s important to realize that the conventional view that cholesterol causes heart disease was based on seriously flawed research right from the start.
How did this Myth that Cholesterol is Unhealthy Start?
Dr. Ancel Keys’ 1953 Seven Countries Study,5 linked the consumption of dietary fat to coronary heart disease. When Keys published his analysis that claimed to prove this link, he selectively included information from only seven countries, despite having data from 22 countries at his disposal. The studies he excluded were those that did not fit with his preconceived hypothesis. Once the data from all 22 countries is analyzed, the correlation vanishes.
Moreover, as noted by Dr. Lipman: “[T]oday’s mainstream thinking on cholesterol is largely based on an influential but flawed 1960s study which concluded that men who ate a lot of meat and dairy had high levels of cholesterol and of heart disease… This interpretation took root, giving rise to what became the prevailing wisdom of the last 40+ years: lay off saturated fats and your cholesterol levels and heart disease risk will drop.
This helped set off the stampede to create low-fat/no-fat Frankenfoods in the lab and launch the multibillion-dollar cholesterol-lowering drug business in hopes of reducing heart disease risk. Did it work? No. Instead of making people healthier, we’ve wound up with an obesity and diabetes epidemic that will wind up driving up rates of heart disease – hardly the result we were hoping for.”
Conflicting Interests in the AHA:
The revised and highly controversial cholesterol-treatment guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in 2013 were created by a number of individuals who had conflicting interests. This includes:
- Lead author, Dr. Neil J. Stone, who is a strong proponent of statin usage and has received honoraria for educational lectures from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kos, Merck, Merck/Schering-Plough, Novartis, Pfizer, Reliant, and Sankyo. He’s also served as a consultant for Abbott, Merck, Merck/Schering-Plough, Pfizer, and Reliant.
- The second author listed, Jennifer Robinson, admitted to the New York Times in 2011 that she was taking research money from seven companies, including some top sellers of cholesterol pills.
- Another author, C. Noel Bairey Merz, received lecture honoraria from Pfizer, Merck, & Kos, and has served as a consultant for Pfizer, Bayer, and EHC (Merck). She’s also received unrestricted institutional grants for Continuing Medical Education from Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Novartis, Wyeth, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging, as well as a research grant from Merck. She also has stocks in Boston Scientific, IVAX, Eli Lilly, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, SCIPIE Insurance, ATS Medical, and Biosite.
What is the Purpose of Cholesterol?
Conventional doctors neglect to tell you the truth: Your body NEEDS cholesterol. Cholesterol is one of the most important molecules in your body; indispensable for the building of cells and for producing stress and sex hormones, as well as vitamin D.
And there are far better indicators of your heart health than just your total cholesterol level. About 75% of cholesterol is produced in your liver, and 25% is from foods you eat.
Cholesterol is Essential For the Production of:
- Cell membranes
- Hormones (including testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen)
- Bile acids (to help digest fat)
- Vitamin D
Cholesterol Also:
- Contributes to the formation of your memories
- Is crucial for your neurological function.
- Affects the formation of serotonin, a hormone that is involved in your mood regulation.
- It helps regulate the amount of water and salt retention in the body
- Is known to help improve the immune system.
- Is also a potent antioxidant that fights free radicals in the body.
A rise in cholesterol levels occurs in response to damaged cells, A high amount of it in your bloodstream just proves that your body is working to repair or create new cells. The best way I’ve heard it described is that to say cholesterol is bad for you is like blaming the fireman for causing the fire, since they are always there at the time of a fire.
Problems with Low Cholesterol:
Dozens of studies also support a connection between low or lowered cholesterol levels and depression, suicidal thoughts, aggression and violent behavior, through this same pathway: lowered cholesterol levels may lead to lowered brain serotonin activity, which may, in turn, lead to increased violence and aggression.6 And one meta-analysis of over 41,000 patient records found that people who take statin drugs to lower their cholesterol as much as possible may have a higher risk of cancer,7 while other studies have linked low cholesterol to Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimeer’s, and stroke.
What Cholesterol level is too low? Brace yourself.
Probably any level much under 150 — an optimum would be more like 200. Now I know what you are thinking: “But my doctor tells me my cholesterol needs to be under 200 to be healthy.” Well let me enlighten you about how these cholesterol recommendations came to be. And I warn you, it is not a pretty story. This is a significant issue. I have seen large numbers of people who have their cholesterol lowered below 150, and there is little question in my mind that it is causing far more harm than any benefit they are receiving by lowering their cholesterol this low.
Source – http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/10/making-sense-of-your-cholesterol-numbers.aspx
A Better test for health based on Cholesterol:
Defining total Cholesterol – Your Cholesterol level tells you virtually nothing about your health. And as explained in the video below by Dr. Ron Rosedale, there is only one type of cholesterol:
HDL and LDL are both forms of protein that carry cholesterol through your blood. Large LDL particles are not harmful but small LDL particles can potentially be a problem, as they can squeeze through the lining of your arteries. If they oxidize, they can cause damage and inflammation. Thus, it would be more accurate to say that there are “good” and “bad” lipoproteins (as opposed to good and bad cholesterol) according to both Dr. Stephen Sinatra, a board-certified cardiologist, and Chris Kresser, L.Ac, a licensed integrative medicine clinician. Some groups, such as the National Lipid Association (NLA), are now starting to shift the focus toward LDL particle number instead of total and LDL cholesterol, in order to better assess your heart disease risk. But it still has not hit mainstream. As noted in the featured article:
“Consequently, you may have blood teeming with the less alarming large particle LDL, and still get signed up for a statin. And with the new controversial – and in my book dangerous – ‘wider net’ guidelines proposed by American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, expect that to happen a lot more. The new guidelines6 will make an estimated additional 15 million more adults (plus a few kids as well) ‘eligible’ to take statins in an effort to drug down their numbers, regardless of what type of LDL they have.”
Fortunately, once you know about particle size numbers, you can take control of your health and either ask your doctor for this test, or order it yourself. Kresser recommends using the NMR LipoProfile. All major labs offer it, including LabCorp and Quest. As noted by Dr. Lipman, if your doctor tells you your cholesterol is too high based on the standard lipid profile, getting a more complete picture is important—especially if you have a family history of heart disease or other risk factors. He writes:
“Press your doctor to review and assess the other often overlooked but possibly more important factors that can shed a brighter light on your unique situation – namely tests which look at hs-C-reactive protein, particle sizes of the LDL cholesterol (sometimes called NMR Lipoprofile), Lipoprotein (a) and serum fibrinogen. These measurable physical clues will help fill in a few more pieces of the puzzle, and enable you and your doctor to develop a more customized program to help manage your risk, with or without cholesterol drugs. If your doc’s not interested in looking under the medical hood, then it may be time to switch to a new mechanic.”
Statins: A Drug That’s Actually Bad for You
Having elevated levels of cholesterol (unless you are suffering from a genetic defect called familial hypercholesterolemia) in no way requires statins, yet millions are taking them as we speak. Americans are led to believe that this class of cholesterol-lowering drugs is the answer to normalizing cholesterol levels, despite over 900 studies documenting their adverse effects.
– Side effects including depletion of CoQ10
For instance, statins also deplete your CoQ10 levels. CoQ10 or Coenzyme Q10 is a substance that plays a crucial role in the creation of your ATP molecules needed for cellular energy production. Other than the side effects brought by statins, CoQ10 deficiency can also yield to a number of complications, including heart failure. Unfortunately, conventional doctors oftentimes immediately base judgment on numbers and prescribe dangerous statins, which ironically puts your heart health at risk for this and other reasons.
As explained by Dr. Sinatra, statins block not just cholesterol production pathways, but several other biochemical pathways as well, including CoQ10 and squalene—the latter of which Dr. Sinatra believes is essential in preventing breast cancer.
Squalene reduction caused by the statin can also raise your risk of immune system dysfunction. The depletion of CoQ10 caused by the drug is why statins can increase your risk of acute heart failure. This depletion also leads to fatigue, muscle weakness, and soreness. So if you’re taking a statin drug, you MUST take Coenzyme Q10 as a supplement, and most are not told this by their doctor. You cannot get enough of it through your diet. Dr. Sinatra recommends taking at least 100 milligrams (mg), but preferably 200 mg of high-quality CoQ10 or Ubiquinol daily. I like this one by Dr. Mercola: (click photo for link)
More Side Effects of Statins
The CoQ10 depletion causes muscle pain and weakness, a condition called rhabdomyolysis, the most common side effect of statin drugs, which is thought to occur because statins activate the atrogin-1 gene, which plays a key role in muscle atrophy.13 By the way, muscle pain and weakness may be an indication that your body tissues are actually breaking down — a condition that can cause kidney damage.
Statin Drugs Have also been Linked to:
• An increased risk of polyneuropathy (nerve damage that causes pain in the hands and feet and trouble walking)
• Dizziness
• Cognitive impairment, including memory loss14
• A potential increased risk of cancer15
• Decreased function of the immune system16
• Depression
• Liver problems, including a potential increase in liver enzymes (so people taking statins must be regularly monitored for normal liver function)
And recently a possible association was found between statins and an increased risk of Lou Gehrig’s disease.17 Other cholesterol-lowering drugs besides statins also have side effects, most notably muscle pain and weakness.
– Inflammation
Excess cholesterol builds up in the blood stream. It happens as a result of the inflammation in your body which your cholesterol is constantly fighting. Therefore, you should not fight the body’s defense system (cholesterol) but rather get to the root of the problem. (See my blog on inflammation here) Cholesterol shouldn’t be feared to the point that you need toxic drugs to suppress it, but rather using techniques to lower inflammation such as exercise and healthy foods. Stress and consequently inflammation are likely reasons for high cholesterol levels. Getting rid of stress and strengthening your immune system will help reduce cholesterol naturally. But you can see my blog on natural ways to lower cholesterol as well here. (coming soon)
Side Effects of Lipitor
Lipitor, the cholesterol-lowering statin drug, was the world’s most successful drug during the time its patent was active with sales exceeded $140 billion. When its patent expired in 2011, the FDA issued its first warning statements on cholesterol-lowering drugs including memory loss, diabetes, and liver damage, and now linked to Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases as well. Statin drugs may very well become the largest criminal act ever committed upon the American public, eclipsing the Vioxx scandal that is responsible for more than 60,000 deaths. Almost all of the major drug companies today are convicted criminals, with settlements in legal cases well into the billions of dollars. But no one goes to prison and the drug sales continue.
This just published study, reviewing the so-called scientific studies backing the rationale for cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, is probably the most comprehensive one to date.
It is: “a comprehensive review of Pubmed, EMBASE and Cochrane review databases undertaken for articles relating to cardiovascular primary prevention and statin side effects with the aim of harmonizing their roles within contemporary clinic practice.” Conclusions – Amongst other negative health conclusions the study found – There is increased risk of Diabetes Mellitus, Cataract formation, and Erectile Dysfunction in young statin users, all of which are Alarming. Furthermore there is a significant increase in the risk of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders in the elderly plus an enhanced risk of a myriad of infectious diseases. Statins are associated with triple the risk of coronary artery and aortic calcification. These finding on statin major adverse effects had been under-reported and the way in which they withheld from the public, and even concealed, is a scientific farce.
Read the complete study and spread the word – here – http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/the-ugly-side-of-statins-an-honest-look-at-the-research-of-cholesterol-lowering-drugs/
In this video seminar Dr. Wallach talks about high blood pressure, cholesterol and salt and eggs:
Assess Your Actual Need for a Cholesterol-Lowering Drug and more accurate testing:
As noted by Dr. Lipman, cholesterol-lowering drugs are not required or prudent for the majority of people—especially if high cholesterol and longevity run in your family. “Regardless, don’t be afraid to push back and tell your doc you’d prefer to avoid drug therapies,” he writes. “Assuming you’re not in a mission critical situation, discuss the possibility of trying a more holistic approach to get your numbers down to what is considered a normal or healthy zone based on all of your specific risk factors, not just your cholesterol numbers.” (See my suggestions in Part 2 here)
In addition to the tests mentioned earlier, including the NMR Lipoprofile, the following tests can give you a far better assessment of your heart disease risk than your total cholesterol alone:
Better Heart Disease Risk Testing:
- HDL/Cholesterol ratio: HDL percentage is a very potent heart disease risk factor. Just divide your HDL level by your total cholesterol. That percentage should ideally be above 24 percent.
- Triglyceride/HDL ratios: You can also do the same thing with your triglycerides and HDL ratio. That percentage should be below 2.
- Your fasting insulin level: Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates like fructose and refined grains generates a rapid rise in blood glucose and then insulin to compensate for the rise in blood sugar. The insulin released from eating too many carbs promotes fat accumulation and makes it more difficult for your body to shed excess weight. Excess fat, particularly around your belly, is one of the major contributors to heart disease
- Your fasting blood sugar level: Studies have shown that people with a fasting blood sugar level of 100-125 mg/dl had a nearly 300 percent increase higher risk of having coronary heart disease than people with a level below 79 mg/dl.
- Your iron level: Iron can be a very potent oxidative stress, so if you have excess iron levels you can damage your blood vessels and increase your risk of heart disease. Ideally, you should monitor your ferritin levels and make sure they are not much above 80 ng/ml. The simplest way to lower them if they are elevated is to donate your blood. If that is not possible you can have a therapeutic phlebotomy and that will effectively eliminate the excess iron from your body.
Zetia and Vytorin: No Medical Benefits
Early in 2008, it came out that Zetia, which works by inhibiting absorption of cholesterol from your intestines, and Vytorin, which is a combination of Zetia and Zocor (a statin drug), do not work. This was discovered AFTER the drugs acquired close to 20 percent of the U.S. market for cholesterol-lowering drugs. And also after close to 1 million prescriptions for the drugs were being written each week in the United States, bringing in close to $4 billion in 2007.
You see, statins are thought to have a beneficial effect on inflammation in your body, thereby having some positive effect, but you can lower inflammation in your body naturally, without risking any of the numerous side effects of statin drugs. This also explains why the guidelines for lowering cholesterol are identical to those to lower inflammation.
More info regarding the dangerous effects of Statins can be found here:
THINCS, The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics (www.thincs.org ), includes eighty doctors, professors and other researchers from all over the world, who share the negative opinion of Statins, and have received two international awards for their contributions.
Dietary Guidelines Changing:
This movement for using Statins may finally change, as limitations for cholesterol will likely be removed from the 2015 edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It’s about time really, as 60 years’ worth of research has utterly failed to demonstrate a correlation between high cholesterol and heart disease.
A draft1 of the 2015 edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans,2 created by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, now states that “cholesterol is not considered a nutrient of concern for over-consumption.” As noted by medical journalist Larry Husten:4
“The proposed change reflects a major shift in the scientific view of cholesterol that has taken place in recent years. Although serum cholesterol is still considered an important risk factor, cholesterol consumed in food is now thought to play a relatively insignificant role in determining blood levels of cholesterol.”
However, if you process saturated fat or cholesterol and heat it by frying, then you create very dangerous products that will clearly increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. So this new information does not give you free license to eat any type of cholesterol. Remember, trans fats are worse than sugar for your health. (That includes most grains and all alcohol.)
Lowering your Cholesterol Naturally:
Excess cholesterol in the blood stream happens as a result of the inflammation in your body which your cholesterol is constantly fighting. Therefore, you should not fight the body’s defense system (cholesterol) but rather get to the root of the problem therefore lowering the cholesterol as well. Stress and consequently inflammation are likely reasons for high cholesterol levels. Getting rid of stress, eating healthy, and strengthening your immune system will help reduce cholesterol naturally.
In Part 2, I show how to reduce stress and inflammation and cholesterol with certain foods, herbs and supplements.
Disclaimer: The information contained on this site is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment by a licensed physician. It is not meant to cover all possible precautions, drug interactions, circumstances or adverse effects. You should seek prompt medical care for any health issues and consult your doctor before using alternative medicine or making a change to your regimen.
By utilizing the information presented on this site, you agree to and understand that author, Bill Farr is not a doctor or any other type of certified health care professional, and his opinion is not a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your doctor or your other health care providers concerning your symptoms and medical requirements before following any of the remedies or other suggestions he offers. His opinion is based on his own research and is to be used for educational purposes only. Bill Farr’s wellness plans and advice are meant to be used in conjunction with standard allopathic or osteopathic medical treatment and care.
