The Cholesterol Lie

If you‘ve been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or you’ve had a heart attack or, heck, if you’re breathing, you have probably heard at some point a doctor’s advice that you take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.

In fact, there was even a movement a couple of years back to put statin drugs on the shelves. No prescription. Easy peasy.

Not so fast.

The Cholesterol Lie goes something like this: Statin drugs lower your cholesterol by blocking the liver’s production of cholesterol. Their stated purpose is to prevent plaque from building up in arteries, preventing heart attacks and strokes.

Here’s the Cholesterol Truth in a nutshell:

• Cholesterol is produced in the human body by the liver. Every cell in the human body needs to produce cell membranes, hormones, vitamin D and bile acids that help digest fat. If cholesterol levels go too low, your body cannot perform those critical functions.
• About 25% of your body’s cholesterol is found in your brain. Low cholesterol has been scientifically associated with increased for depression and even death.
• People with the lowest cholesterol have the lowest cognitive function.
• The FDA has issued warnings about the side effects of statin drugs. They are extremely serious:
  Liver damage (because the liver’s function to produce cholesterol has been suppressed).Memory loss, forgetfulness and confusion (because the brain’s access to nurturing cholesterol has been limited).Elevated blood sugar especially in people with diabetes (who don’t need more sugar circulating in their systems). The risk of muscle damage from interactions with drugs commonly used in conjunction with statins.They can cause birth defects.
• Statin drugs have also been shown to deplete the body’s natural supplies of CoEnzyme Q10, the natural substance that, among many other things, tells your heart to beat. Without sufficient stores of CopQ10, you are at risk for sudden heart failure.

If your doctor is prescribing statins, it’s time for some incisive questions:.

1. What is my HDL:LDL cholesterol ratio? Ideally, this ratio should be more than 24%. Some people who have what may appear to be high cholesterol actually have an excellent ratio of HDL (good) cholesterol to LDL, the cholesterol generally considered “bad.”
2. What is my triglyceride/HDL ratio? It should be below 2.
3. What is my level of VLDL cholesterol? This is the one that is often considered to be the most dangerous.
4. What side effects might take place? How would you address those side effects? (Especially important if you have diabetes and the drugs elevate your blood sugar.)
5. What are my alternatives to statins?

There are alternatives. Coming up in my next post.