Why Everything You’ve Been Told About Statins And Cholesterol Is Wrong.

Many people still believe that eating cholesterol and fat, especially saturated fat, causes heart attacks and that taking statin drugs provide a powerful way to reduce your risk of heart attacks. But is this really true?

One of the biggest refuse-to-die myths is that dietary and cholesterol levels are the enemy and a high-fat diet causes heart attacks.

Your doctor, the media, and traditional health professionals advise that you shouldn’t eat too much fat or cholesterol; yet, study after study shows no link between total fat, saturated fat, or dietary cholesterol and heart disease.

Total Fat and Saturated Fat Don’t Cause Heart Disease
One review of 72 studies comprising almost 600,000 people found no link between total or saturated fat and heart disease, but they did find that trans-fats were clearly harmful and omega 3 fats were beneficial.

What most doctors and drug company commercials don’t talk about are the studies that show that most people who have heart attacks actually have normal cholesterol levels. Because we have statins and other drugs that lower cholesterol, the belief is that these drugs are preventing the heart attacks.What we need to focuson, is what we can do to reduce our risk for heart attack.

One large study looked at 541 hospitals with 136,905 admissions for heart attacks. Altogether, researchers accounted for 59 percent of all heart attacks in America that year.

Interestingly, all of these patients who had heart attacks did not have high LDL or elevated total cholesterol. In fact, 75 percent of those people had “normal” LDL cholesterol, with 50 percent having optimal LDL levels. So much for the high LDL contributing to heart attacks.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Only 10 percent of the participants had levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol over 60. This means that 90 percent of these patients who suffered a heart attack had HDL levels under 60. Low HDL is a big red flag for pre-diabetes, or what I call diabesity.And we now know that low HDL is the real driver of most heart attacks and heart disease.

Indeed, researchers in this study found most of these patients had metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes or diabesity.

I have seen this over and over in my practice over several decades. Fat and dietary cholesterol are not the culprits. It’s sugar and refined carbs that contribute to diabesity, heart disease, and so many other problems.

The End of Low-Fat Diet Recommendations
The 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee reviewed all the research over 40 years and told us to stop worrying about dietary cholesterol, arguing it is “not a nutrient of concern.” They also finally lifted any recommendations to restrict dietary fat after 35 years of a steady diet of low-fat recommendations! This was buried in the report but is huge news.

I recently interviewed one of the world’s leading cholesterol experts, Dr. Ronald Krauss. He told me in the 1980s when low-fat recommendations were in their heyday, he performed a study taking people with normal cholesterol and feeding them a low-fat, high-carb diet, which experts considered healthy at the time.

Dr. Krauss was shocked at what happened. This supposedly healthy low-fat dietchanged healthy cholesterol profiles into heart attack-prone profiles, with high triglycerides, low HDL, and small LDL particles. Researchers were shocked.

What we now know matters most is the type of fat you eat, not the amount. Trans-fats and refined vegetable oils promote abnormal cholesterol profiles; whereas, omega 3 oils from fish and monounsaturated fats found in nuts and olive oil can actually improve the type and quantity of your cholesterol.

Trans and damaged fats are unhealthy, but the biggest culprit of abnormal cholesterol levels is not fat at all. It is sugar in all its many forms.

The sugar you consume converts to abnormal blood cholesterol and belly fat. The biggest culprit of all is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) found in soda, juices, and in most processed foods. That’s what causes cholesterol issues in most people, not saturated or total fat.

When you ingest fructose in high amounts without the associated fiber found in whole fruit, it turns on the cholesterol-producing factory in your liver called lipogenesis which makes super dangerous small LDL particles, jacks up your triglycerides, and lowers the HDL (or good) cholesterol. So does sugar in any form, including flour and refined carbs.

The Dangers of Statin Medication Used to Lower Cholesterol

So, why are we all obsessed with total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol when we know they aren’t the primary culprits for heart attacks? Because a multi-billion dollar drug industry exists behind the number-one best-selling class of drugs on the market: Statins.

Believing that having a low LDL is the best way to prevent heart disease, doctors often prescribe medications like statins to keep those levels low.

Yet these drugs can introduce a whole host of problems including muscle damage, memory issues, Parkinson’s-like symptoms, and muscle aches and pains. We now know that statins can increase the risk of diabetes by about 50 percent.

They also prevent your muscles from working properly so when you exercise, you can’t get as fit. One 12-week study found that people who took statins showed a 13 percent reduction in fitness after a vigorous exercise program. The statins blocked the benefits of exercise.

Even more, concerning is that statins don’t even work that well for preventing heart attacks, despite all the media hype and your doctor’s advice. You have to treat 50 people with statins to prevent 1 heart attack or treat 890 people to prevent 1 death. That means 889 people are taking statins with no benefit.


When the statins do work, it often has nothing to do with their effect on cholesterol. Some of the touted benefits of statins are that they lower inflammation and perform like antioxidants in the body.Overall, however, the drawbacks outweigh these and other potential benefits for most people.They may have a little more benefit for those who already have had a heart attack but not much for those who have never had one (which is when most statins are prescribed – before an incident has occurred).

Editor’s Note: In an April 2015 study published in the Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, Japanese researchers analyzed their cholesterol guidelines and statin drugs. Many people believe that high cholesterol levels increase your risk of heart attack and mortality. But, according to the research, this isn’t necessarily true. Check this out:

• Mortality rates actually go down in people with higher total or low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, as reported by most Japanese studies
• Coronary heart disease-induced mortality in Japan accounts for approximately 7% of all-cause mortality (and has for decades); this is a much lower rate than we’re witnessing in Western countries

Reading things like that should really make you question whether lower cholesterol equals lower mortality risk. In fact, research is meant to educate healthcare professionals and inform policymakers, which should eventually educate the public; in this case, about the benefits of cholesterol and how it can even promote heart health. (Is there a break down in communication somewhere?)

However, this paradigm shift suggest that fewer statin medications would be taken and thus less money would be made by pharmaceutical giants. And the researchers know that…

“[Cholesterol] guidelines… are generally held in high regard in Japan, and the country’s public health administration mechanism complies with them without question. Physicians, too, tend to simply obey the guidelines; their workloads often don’t allow them to explore the issue rigorously enough to learn the background truth and they are afraid of litigation if they don’t follow the guidelines in daily practice.”

https://theheartysoul.com/cholester...b6DeM77EoFulxjA4l_22s3gFQEpb687XXqQ4trN4HG-Bs

My sister (B.Nurs. Degree from Manchester University back in the 70s, and taught the B.Nurs Degree course for 10 years at a Scottish University) recommended that I did NOT take the Statins offered to me by my doctor... as if he was handing out sweets. I did have quite high Cholesterol levels, and do now have a 'triple A' (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm).

I stopped smoking in 2014, and just try to eat a healthy balanced diet, and exercise properly.

“I can’t see it is any more valid for a diabetes charity to take money from a sugary drinks company than it would be for Cancer Research UK to take money from Marlboro.”

https://www.simpleasfat.com/diabete...eUUL4sKVjNxdxR4nVc6UgcQdxm061MpRPPAIJ976rWDAU

@graham59 i too had a triple A --discovered by chance during an ultrasound scan for possible gallstones many years back.
regular scans were carried out to monitor my aneurism--till early 2016 around the time Nida came over on her settlement visa. then it was found to have reached a point where surgical intervention was necessary.

we got married end of april--got same day FLR at croydon on 16th may--then my op a week later, at southamton general.

a side effect of the op was--my old chap swoll up like an aubergine--same purple colour too. it looked awful. but the colour and size returned to normal after a couple of weeks. pity the swelling didnt remain.

anyway--may i suggest you have regular scans to monitor yours.

i had a heart attack in dec 1996--i was 48. a lot of my relatives had died young from heart problems.

in the following years it was discovered i had very high cholestrol--and a specialist professor at Hammersmith hosital said i have hyperlipidaemia--i naturally produce high cholestrol and no diet would ever reduce it. so--statins it was for me.

none did anything for me--until i was put on the new ( then) wonder-statin---Crestor 40mg. that hit the spot--my annual check up shows my chol as below 4--so thats fine.

i am aware i am at the high risk level of getting diabetes. i have recently halved my use of sugar in coffee--and will go all the way in stages.

an interesting point i did discover a few years back--about smoking....which i did till my heart attack. its carbon monoxide poisoning thats the real problem...if you have high cholestrol.

My next free scan for the AAA is December 6th... but as I have now moved permanently to the Phils, I will just have to take my chances. It was only 32mm last scan... a year ago, up from 30mm.

Good article. Its one of those issues where people at some point looked at data and put unrelated facts together to reach a conclusion. I am not sure what the answer is apart from moderation and low salt/sugar. Most food has enough of what we need in it if its balanced. Its when we add our taste addictions of sugar or salt that we find our body genetically is not made to cope with it. Too much anything, including water can damage you.

Weird thing about sugar in coffee is that once you stop having sugar, you cannot go back, it tastes awful

Yes I would agree with that . I remember years ago drinking tea when ‘two sugars ‘ seemed to be the norm .

That would be undrinkable to me now , but I’m still trying to give up that final half teaspoon . Sweeteners aren’t the answer for me , Ill just persevere until totally done .

Well that's good timing, I just took my first ever statin tablet ten minutes ago, Atovarstatin 20mg.

When I was back in the UK last week I saw the doctor for the annual review of my Valsartan / Amlodipine medication (to lower blood pressure).

She showed me a visual sales presentation, loads of pink hearts and things on her computer screen, which claimed that statins could reduce the risk of a heart attack by up to 20% over a ten year period.

I remember being surprised that she said I could take them if I wanted, rather than saying that I should take them, it all seemed a bit half hearted, (no pun intended).

Paid my eight quid for a three month supply and just discovered them at the bottom of my travel bag.

I have found a supply of sweeteners here in the Phils (SM Supermarket), so can continue to halve the sugar in my 4 or 5 cups of coffee intake, simply by substituting the second spoonful with one tablet.
I never add salt to any food these days, except for my home-cooked stews, etc... knowing the amount that is already in so many processed foods.

I take no sugar in the traditional British cuppa of strong milky tea, but like half a teaspoon when drinking a glass of Turkish or Egyptian tea.

I thought that some artificial sweeteners were proven carcinogens, I avoid them where possible.

Apparently,salt helps the body absorb and retain water..I drink a lot of water here (far more than in the UK) so from what I have read,more salt is required to stay hydrated but it depends how much water you drink.
One thing to be aware of here is that salt here bought in packets always contains Iodine.
Sea salt from the Fish market vendors is widely available.

Theres a big difference between Sea Salt and manfactured salt, especially the taste

I only have half a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee.

Got to look after my figure.



Hafiz Mustafa, an awesome coffee shop I recently found in Istanbul.

Slightly off-topic, but I do find that after a month or so living in the Philippines I (already naturally slim) just seem to lose every ounce of body fat... ending up looking, to my eyes anyway, like some sort of POW inmate !

I feel absolutely fine, fit , strong and healthy, in all other respects. I just hate being so skinny. Has to be the change in climate. I still eat much the same as I do back in the UK.

There seems to be no explanation (via google search) for this. Something (getting skinny) I've noticed in other expats too.

Yet others remain fat... or get even fatter ! Strange.

sh1t less

Wish I could lose some fat, been here nearly two years and I'm careful what I eat, don't have any sugar with my cuppas. Although I drink beer like it's going out of fashion.

I eat almost exactly the same food as I do back in the UK... very little rice. I really don't like the local food.

Traditional British grub... spuds, meat, veg. bread, cheese, eggs, etc... and always cook it myself.

It has to be the difference in temperature and humidity I reckon, and our differing 'metabolic rates' .

Oh well, I suppose it's likely to be healthier not being overweight.