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The
Link between Heart Disease & Cholesterol:
Fact or fallacy?
Heart
disease is the number one killer in the world. One out of every
two men and one out of every three women currently develop heart
disease. The UK has one of the highest rates of death from heart
disease in the world - one British adult dies from the disease every
three minutes - and strokes are the country's third biggest killer,
claiming 70,000 lives each year.
Heart disease is the common name given to a range of conditions,
including:
• Coronary artery disease (including heart attack)
• Abnormal heart rhythms or arrythmias
• Heart failure
• Heart valve disease
• Congenital heart disease
• Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy)
• Pericardial disease
• Aorta disease and Marfan syndrome
• Vascular disease (blood vessel disease)
Facts
Before 1920, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) was rare in America, but
by the mid fifties it was the leading cause of death among Americans
(which corresponds with most Western Countries). So what had changed?
Whilst modern medicine would have us believe that this epidemic
is the result of diets that are too high in cholesterol and saturated
fat, here are some interesting facts that contradict that claim:
between 1910 and 1970, animal fat consumption decreased from 83%
to 62%; butter consumption decreased from 18 pounds to 4 pounds
per year; and margarine, shortening and refined oils consumption
increased by 400% (see October's Crime Watch article "Fat
Facts - Good Guys or Bad Guys").
In order to determine the scientific validity of the proposed link,
it is first essential to examine the role of cholesterol.
Every cell membrane in our body contains cholesterol because cholesterol
is what makes our cells waterproof - without cholesterol we could
not have a different biochemistry on the inside and the outside
of the cell. When cholesterol levels are not adequate, the cell
membrane becomes leaky or porous; a situation the body interprets
as an emergency, releasing a flood of corticoid hormones that work
by taking cholesterol from one part of the body and transporting
it to areas where it is lacking.
Thus, low cholesterol - whether due to an innate error of metabolism
or induced by cholesterol-lowering diets and drugs - can be expected
to disrupt the production of adrenal hormones and lead to blood
sugar problems, edema, mineral deficiencies, chronic inflammation,
difficulty in healing, allergies, asthma, reduced libido, infertility
and various reproductive problems (1).
Other cholesterol facts:
| • |
Cholesterol
is the body's repair substance: scar tissue contains high
levels of cholesterol.
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| • |
The
bile salts, required for the digestion of fat, are made of
cholesterol. Those who suffer from low cholesterol often have
trouble digesting fats.
|
| • |
Cholesterol
also functions as a powerful antioxidant, thus protecting
us against cancer and aging.
|
| • |
Cholesterol
is vital to proper neurological function. About 17% of the
human brain is composed of cholesterol. |
So
what is happening when the body is producing a high amount of
cholesterol?
By going back to its function one could hypothesise that it is
in a state of repair. From what? Ever heard of free-radicals?
Try this on for size: "Once these naked, wildly destructive
electrons [free radicals] are on the loose, they also eat holes
in arteries that then attract nature's band-aid: cholesterol."
(2)
So what happens when we take statins (cholesterol-reducing drugs)?
"Instead of seeing cholesterol as a messenger of free radical
overload, or a call to arms to find the underlying problem and
fix it, we kill the messenger (cholesterol) with drugs. Unfortunately,
the cholesterol-lowering drugs, act by inhibiting the enzyme HMG
COA reductase, which turns off the body's ability to make coenzyme
Q10. This deficiency guarantees that the victim will go on to
get high blood pressure, heart failure, cancer or other consequences."
(2)
Statins - the wonder drug?
Statins, the new "wonder drugs" are currently the top-selling
medicines in the world with annual sales of more than US$ 19 billion.
In the UK according to the NHS, doctors wrote 31 million prescriptions
for statins in 2003, up from 1 million in 1995 at a cost of 7
billion pounds. (3)
That's a lot of money being taken away from an already depleted
health service to fund a drug that's effectiveness in increasing
life expectancy is questionable and has shown to cause serious
side-effects.
Here are just a few more facts about statins:
"The November 2003 issue of Smart Money magazine reports
on a 1999 study at St. Thomas' Hospital in London (apparently
unpublished), which found that 36 percent of patients on Lipitor's
highest dose reported side effects; even at the lowest dose, 10
percent reported side effects." (1)
"Active people are much more likely to develop problems from
statin use than those who are sedentary. In a study carried out
in Austria, only six out of 22 athletes with familial hypercholesterolemia
were able to endure statin treatment. The others discontinued
treatment because of muscle pain." (1)
Vioxx - another wonder drug
It has however been estimated that one such wonder drug, Vioxx,
could have caused 27,785 heart attacks or deaths since it was
approved for use in 1999. In September 2004 Vioxx was withdrawn
due to health fears. Today, more than 4,200 lawsuits have been
filed against Merck, the company responsible for the drug, and
yet still Merck's lawyers claim that "there is no reliable
scientific evidence that shows Vioxx causes cardiac arrhythmia."
(4)
Why is cholesterol the enemy? Good question
Dr Paul J. Rosch gives a better understanding of how results can
be manipulated in his article "More on the Preposterous Polypill
Panacea". Rosch examines the new Polypill (a pill combining
a statin and various other drugs, claiming to reduce heart disease
by 80%) and outlines the concepts of how researchers use the terms
'relative risk-reduction', 'absolute risk-reduction' and 'number
needed' to treat to spin the truth. This brings to mind a comment
made by Harry Truman: "If you can't convince them, confuse
them." (5)
Your 3d Coach
Craig
Burton
References:
(1)
Fallon, S and Enig, M PhD., Dangers of statin drugs: what you
haven't been told about popular cholesterol-lowering medicines,
available at www.westonaprice.org
(2)
Dr. Sherry Rogers, Detox or Die, Sandkey Co., 2002
(3)
Barrett, A and Carey, J. Business link online, Wondering about
a wonder drug, November 22, 2004, available at www.businessweek.com
(4)
BBC News, US giant punished for faulty drug, 20/08/2005, available
at www.news.bbc.co.uk
(5) Rosch, P., More on the preposterous, Polypill Panacea, 08/06/2003,
available at www.mercola.com
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