It’s been over six decades since the low fat, low cholesterol narrative took hold. It’s been four decades since statins were introduced as standard of care to prevent heart attacks but I don’t think we’ve gotten it quite right.
I mean, heart disease is still the number one killer of both men and women.
Do low fat diets lower cholesterol? Yes. Do statins lower LDL cholesterol? Yes they do. Does lowering cholesterol prevent heart attacks? NOPE!
Did you know that in high-risk patients (those who have already suffered a heart attack), the average extension of life expectancy due to taking a statin is measured in days. Like four days, not years.
And for prevention,(those who have not had a CV event but may have elevated cholesterol, which are most of the statin users), patients do not see significant reduction in mortality or heart attack rates.
For every 100 patients treated with a statin, only one might avoid a heart attack and it’s fewer in terms of deaths from a heart attack.
How did we get it so wrong? Well, there’s a lot of money behind education and studies authored by Big Pharma. Another problem is the way the study numbers are reported. If you don’t know about relative risk vs absolute risk, then you will not be able to evaluate a study properly.
How many doctors have the time to dig into studies and evaluate them? Very few. They are trusting the people that have taught them in medical school and continuing education classes and that, unfortunately, is dominated by the pharmaceutical companies.
Here are the risks of taking Statins:
- Low hormones=ED and increased inflammation
- Muscle and joint pain
- Dementia
- Insulin resistance/diabetes
- Rotator Cuff tear
So if it’s not the cholesterol, then what causes heart disease? The same thing that causes all chronic disease, inflammation.
Where does inflammation come from?
- From the food we eat (over processed and under nourishing)
- Our sedentary lifestyles
- Stress
- Compromised guts
- Diabetes
- Insulin resistance
- Medications
- The Environment
- Menopause-(heart disease is the #1 killer in menopausal women)
- Low Testosterone in men
What is the best way to measure inflammation? With good blood work that can easily be ordered.
The 6 markers to include are:
- Homocysteine
- hs-CRP
- Ferritin
- Sed Rate
- Fasting Insulin
- Vitamin D
If you’re missing any of these from your blood work, reach out to me and we’ll get it done.
I have clients coming to me worried about keeping their cholesterol levels down, especially if there is heart disease in their families and/or they’ve shown up with a genetic predisposition to heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
They often don’t want to go on medication and they realize that changes to lifestyle and diet will go a long way and they reach out to me for guidance. I’m grateful and honored to be able to help them stay vibrant well into their golden years! And most often medication free!
BTW-increased lifespan has been confirmed with cholesterol maintained at levels of 200-220. Yes, you read that correctly
Here are the reasons we need cholesterol:
#1. To keep our brains humming-we do have fat heads and a lot of it is cholesterol.
#2. To keep our cell walls pliable so that things can move in and out of them easily and receptor sites work better.
#3. They are the backbone of our sex hormones. When we lower cholesterol enough, down goes testosterone.
#4. To help the conversion of Vitamin D from sunlight.
#5. To make bile which removes toxins and balances hormones-super important!
#6. For the absorption of our fat soluble vitamins.
#7. To repair damaged tissue throughout our bodies.
We DO need cholesterol but we do not want a lot of oxidized cholesterol floating around which happens when there’s inflammation. So that means let’s do everything we can to mitigate inflammation, not reduce cholesterol to miniscule amounts!
Bottom line is, keeping everything in balance, moderation and not throwing the baby out with the bath water.
So where does that leave us?
First and foremost, we need to make sure our inflammatory markers are tested annually and then addressed if they are elevated. It’s the first line to tell us how our bodies are handling the way we’re eating and living and possible hidden inflammation.
Second, is to see if you do have any calcium build-up in the major and peripheral blood vessels with a simple Calcium Scan Score. If your doctor won’t order it, you can get it done through Lifelinescreening.com for $159
Third might be taking a supplement that contains Rhamnan sulfate. Studies have shown that RS provides a safe and effective intervention for reducing atherosclerotic plaque and protecting blood vessles from the damage of oxidized LDL.
The supplement I recommend is Arterosil HP by Designs For Health. You can order this from my online dispensary using the button below and receive 15% off.
And Fourth, do your own research and have a candid conversation with your doctor. It’s ultimately your decision, but no matter what you choose to do, the underpinning basics of good nutrition and lifestyle always need to be addressed and put in place.
I’ve included three resources below for your own exploration.
As always, I’m here to help guide you through the ‘Health’ care maze. It’s easy to book a call using the button below.
Resources:
Dr. Mark Hyman’s amazing interview with the prestigious and well respected cardiologist from England, Dr. Aseem Malhotra goes into this whole conversation with quite a bit of depth. You can access that interview here or by going to The Dr. Mark Hyman podcast).
2. https://www.sciencedirect.