MYTHS- CHOLESTEROL ,HEART ATTACK and STATINS

1. MYTHS- CHOLESTEROL ,HEART ATTACK and STATINS Most people react to being told they have high cholesterol in the same way they would if they were told that they had terminal cancer.These two words, “ high cholesterol “’ strike immediate fear. FACTS: Cholesterol is so important that every cell in the human body can manufacture it. The membranes of cells are constructed primarily of lipids, which play a vital role in regulating what may enter and exit the cell. Body uses cholesterol as a kind of band aid to cover abrasions and tears in damaged arterial walls just as it does it for any other wound .

2. Cholesterol is nothing less than a ”life-saver” it is used to synthesize several steroid harmones, including estrogen, progesterone,testosterone, as well as as corticosteroids, also the precursor from which the body synthesizes vitaminD. Our God – given “chemical factory”,Liver is the largest producer and consumer of cholesterol. Since it is insoluble in water and blood, it is transported in the form of spherical lipoproteins “. Depending on the size they are LDL & HDL

3. We have been taught that there is”good” cholesterol (HDL) and “bad” cholesterol (LDL) which is a myth. The LDL and the HDL are merely the “carriers”of the cholesterol. LDLcarries cholesterol from the liver to whereit is needed for cell repair and all the other jobs that cholesterol does.HDL carries “secondhand” cholesterol from cells being replaced back to the liver for re-use . Neither are “good”or “bad” - they are both essential.

4. Two recent studies (both in 2006 ) dispelled the myths about LDL and HDL. The first, published in the journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that LDL was NOT a predictor of greater diseases. This was confirmed by a joint Canadian and American group who also found that levels of LDL did not predict heart disease.

5. This is exactiy the opposite of what we have been told for almost 50 years ! the combined resuffs of more than 40 different trials which looked at whether lowering cholesterol levels reduced the occurrence of heart disease, analysis shows there were similar rates of heart attack and overall mortality both in the groups who lowered their cholesterol and in those who did not. A study sponsored by the German Ministry of Research and Technology showed that no link exists between food cholesterol and blood cholesterol.

6. Even more surprising , in Japan, cholesterol levels have risen during recent years , yet the number of heart attacks has dropped . But how did we arrive at a place where, despite voluminous research to the contrary, it is accepted as “gospel truth “ high cholesterol causes heart disease?

7. A trip down the memory lane.... In 1953 Dr. Ancel Keys PhD, was convinced that high levels of fat consumption resulted in high levels of heart disease. He conducted a multi-country research project and presented a compelling linear chart, showing how high fat and high cholesterol correlated directly with heart disease for six leading countries, Keys played a little “ statistical trick” on everyone by showing data from only 6 of the 26 countries that he had assessed.

8. If he had included the other 20 countries (such as France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Holland etc.,) then his graph would have looked very scattered and would not have shown a link between high fat diets and heart disease. It took twenty-five years before anyone discoveried the missing data . By that time, keys’ high cholesterol / heart disease theory had become so strongly entrenched in the population that it is now considered “ common knowledge” .

9. Most of the momentum for the anti-cholesterol campaign has come from major pharmaceutical companies whith huge marketing budgets. Statin drugs block enzyme pathways involved in the production of cholesterol, thereby lowering cholesterol levels. But that’s not all these drugs do. The same enzymes that are also required for the production of an essential compound called coenzyme Q10 . Not surprisingly, lower cholesterol levels in statin users are accompanied by reduced levels of Co Q10. Low levels of CoQ10 are implicated in virtually all cardiovascular diseases.

10. Why do people who live in countries like France and eat plenty of cholesterol rich foods like cheese, cream, butter, and meats have such a low incidence of heart disease? The fact that natural, unprocessed foods have healing properties. The French cuisine relies heavily on fresh foods, which are much closer to natural than the typical western diet. The French never use trans-fats or hydrogenated oils. They use normal healthy fats like butter and olive oil.

11. The French paradox is important because it substantiates the findings by countless researchers that normal in take of cholesterol and saturated fats does not cause heart disease. As is evident from this report, the cause of heart disease is NOT high cholesterol . The major causes are unhealthy diet, stress, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle.

12. When you eat too many fatty foods and do not get enough exercise the arteries in your heart begin to clog with fatty deposits. Over time, these deposits can lead to major restriction of heart atteries, which leads to heart attacks. It’s a very simple process. So never blame an active circulatory lipoprotein for the disease caused by your inactive sedentary life.

13. CHOLESTEROL DOES NOT CAUSE HEART DISEASE Quite a number of physicians and scientists are shattering the sacrosanct dogma of cholesterol which holds that dietary saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease. Dr.Uffe Ravanskov, the spokesperson for this growing group says that there is no proof to support this hypothesis; available scientific evidence contradicts this claim.

14. Ravanskov cites a study by a group of researchers published in the British Medical Journal (31 March 2001) which shows that not a single life was saved by dietary changes to reduce fat intake. Dr.Walter Willet says that the ongoing, longest running, most comprehensive diet and health study ever performed, involving 300,000 subjects, makes it quite clear that the idea ‘low fat is good’ and ‘all fats is bad’ has contributed to the obesity epidemic.

15. HIDDEN DANGERS OF CHOLESTEROL DRUGS There is no evidence that lowering cholesterol averts heart disease. Experts point out that half the heart attacks under the age of 50 happens without any recognized risk factors like elevated cholesterol. “There is absolutely no evidence anywhere that normal cholesterol floating around in the blood does any harm. In fact, cholesterol is the building block for all your steroid hormones, which includes all the sex hormones and the cortisones

16. Even slightly low levels of cholesterol are associated with depression, suicde, and lung cancer in older women…For most people, eating high cholesterol foods does not raise cholesterol. While a cholesterol-lowering drug will usually do a very good job of lowering your cholesterol, there is scant, if any, evidence that it will help you live longer or reduce your risk of heart attack

17. If the American public had even a clue of how destructive these drugs are, they wouldn’t touch them…Every information sheet on the most commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs will tell you that they cause cancer in rodents when taken long-term in relatively normal doses. It is also well-known that they can cause severe emotional imbalances in men along with a wide array of life-threatening side effects…The wisest course of action is to avoid these drugs….” Earl Mindell

18. CHOLESTEROL DRUGS – A DEATH SENTENCE? Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a vitamin-like substance, is required for our muscles to function well. This is very important for the heart muscle. Healthy humans under the age of 40 make sufficient CoQ10 in their body. But the elderly people have low CoQ10 levels. As a result they experience fatigue, m uscle pain, and possibly heart failure.Most statin cholesterol lowering drugs arrest the body’s ability to make CoQ10. They thus lower CoQ10 in the body. Let us hear what an expert and researcher in this field has to say:

19. “We are now in a position to witness the unfolding of the greatest medical tragedy of all time – never before in history has the medical establishment knowingly created a life threatening nutrient deficiency in millions of otherwise healthy people.” • Peter H. Langsjoen, M.D.

20. According to his researches, diminished CoQ10 leads to heart failure. Cholesterol-lowering drugs inhibit the production of it in the liver. This is done by arresting some enzymes that are involved in the production of cholesterol. But the same enzymes are also required for the manufacture of CoQ10. So when cholesterol production is controlled, the production CoQ10 also is limited. This results in lower levels of this important molecule with lower cholesterol levels.

21. CoQ10 is required for the making of ATP, the fuel that runs cellular processes. It is present in every cell but is concentrated in every active cells of the heart. “Depriving the heart of CoQ10 is like removing a spark plug from your engine – it just won’t work. Low levels of CoQ10 are implicated in virtually all cardiovascular diseases, including angina, hypertension, cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure.” - Peter H. Langsjoen, M.D.

22. Aren’t the manufacturers of cholesterol-lowering drugs aware of this great harm done to the users of these drugs? Yes, very much. In 1990, the drug manufacturer Merck obtained a patent for their statin drugs to be formulated with CoQ10 to prevent or alleviate cardiomyopathy, a serious condition that can cause congestive heart failure. But such combinations have not come to the market.

23. The company has not cared to educate the physicians on the importance of supplementing CoQ10 to offset the dangers to the heart caused by these drugs. Because this company has the patent, other companies cannot bring out such a product.

24. “In the last 15 years (roughly the time that statins have been on the market), the incidence of congestive heart failure has tripled.” • Peter H. Langsjoen, M.D. • Dr.Julian Whitaker recommends that statin drug users take at least 150 mg of CoQ10 daily to avert the tragedy.

25. STATINS LINKED TO CATARACTS According to a study by Christopher Meir in Switzerland, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, a brief exposure to high levels of some statin drugs may irreversibly damage the lens of the eye. Taking an antibiotic like erythromycin in combination with a statin drug may increase the risk of cataracts. Erythromycin slows the removal of statins from the body and can greatly increase blood levels of these drugs. A single course of antibiotics, typically ten days, appears to double the risk of cataracts, and two more courses triple the risk.

26. THE STATIN DRUG DEBACLE The drug companies organize studies after studies, earnestly hoping and praying that at least one will show beneficial result. But no study has shown the fancied good result. “No study that has released its unedited data has shown that heart patients reverse their disease by taking statins,” says Owen Fonorow. And this is not for lack of trying. Pfizer alone has financed 400 such studies for just one of these drugs.

27. The shocking fact is that statin drug not only fails to slow the accumulation of fatty plaque in arteries but it actually contributes to plaque formation. Cardiologists at the Cleveland clinic organized a study to assess the effectiveness of a statin drug, Zetia, made by the pharmaceutical giant Merck and Schering-Plough. ”Not only did the drug fail to benefit patients in the two-year clinical trial, but it……..increased the buildup of harmful plaque in arteries.”

28. What is more, the company refused to reveal the clinical trial result for a long time. This was a ploy to keep up the sale of the drug. Millions of patients continued to take this useless and harmful drug. It is prescribed 100,000 times a day in the US alone. But later under pressure from the government the company disclosed the shocking finding. “The drug does n’t work. It just does not work,”said Dr.Steven Nissen, Chairman of Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic. See how unethical and dishonest are the ways of the drug companies.

29. LINK TO CANCER Dr.Thomas Newman has warned about statin’s link to cancer ( JAMA – Jan.1996). A study published in Lancet (Nov. 2002) given the same warning: those who took statin drug had more cancers than those who did not take. Breast cancer was found to be more among the users of stain drug (NEJM Oct. 1996).

30. Though statin drugs may help in angiogenesis (development of tiny arteries) they increase the risk from cancer; survival rate is reduced (Brit. J.Cancer Oct. 2000; Nature Med.Sept. 2000). As Shane Ellison observes, “the reduction of heart attack from taking statin drug is 1%; the increase in breast cancer is 1500%.”