The number one prescribed medication today is statins. One in four Americans over the age of 45 is taking this cholesterol lowering medication. But does it really help prevent heart disease and stroke? What if everything you have been told was untrue?
Cholesterol is made in your liver and is found in the blood stream as well as in every cell in your body. It is needed by your body to produce hormones, cell membranes, bile acids to digest fat, and Vitamin D.
Misconception: Cholesterol is the enemy of heart disease! And statins are the answer!
Fact: The main cause of heart disease is oxidative stress and inflammation. It is inflammation in blood vessels that causes injury of the vessels and in turn the body sends cholesterol to heal it and protect the vessel from further injury. When the cholesterol accumulates in the arterial walls, heart attacks and strokes occur.
Fact: Research shows patients that had high cholesterol levels but low levels of inflammation had fewer heart attacks.
Fact: The American Heart Journal 2009 found patients hospitalized for a heart attack actually had “safe range” or optimal LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.
Fact: 8/9 doctors on US National Cholesterol Education Program panel who lowered the acceptable cholesterol levels had ties to the same drug companies who manufacture the cholesterol lowering drugs.
Fact: These new stringent low cholesterol levels boosted statin drug sales from $15 billion to $24 billion in just one year.
Fact: In patients that already have heart disease, statins are more effective in reducing heart attacks and death but reducing the risk by only 20%.
Fact: Cholesterol in your diet does not increase the bad cholesterol in the bloodstream.
Fact: Side-effects of statin drugs – muscle weakness and pain including heart muscle weakness (in just 6
months time), breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, memory loss, cognitive problems, nerve
damage in hands and feet, acidosis, anemia, sexual dysfunction, cataracts, immune depression,
pancreas or liver dysfunction.