It Ain't Cholesterol

[LSchelin]

Cholesterol has been the bad guy for decades being blamed for heart attacks...It just isn't so. Then the doctors prescribe statins which makes the problem worse

 

[IlanaR]

I'd love to get at the truth on this having lost a parent to a sudden heart attack. They had normal cholesterol, BP, were not overweight, avoided fat, were very active, etc.

As I investigated the whole thing, trying to find the 'cause' I found arguments for both sides, the anti fat side and the anti carbs side.

Unfortunately both sides have vested interests in keeping their positions, while people are still dying of heart disease and it's the number 1 killer in many countries :-(

I'm happy to hear all sides as all I want to get at is the truth. I suspect both sides are true and there is a common denominator. Refined foods? Lack of plant foods? etc.

Due to the work of Dr Caldwell Esselstyn I do want to keep my cholesterol as low as possible. He has reversed heart disease with a strict low fat vegan diet. But I'm not making a claim here that cholesterol is the culprit, I'm just saying that he was able to demonstrate his results with angiograms and if it's not due to the cholesterol, some other factor may well account for what this diet did.....and that may be achievable with other diets. Who knows.

I know one thing, there needs to be a lot more medical research because there's no bringing a person back if a heart attack is fatal. Considering the lifestyle of my parent, and comparing it with some incredibly unhealthy lifestyles of people around us, and those people are still fine, it's not just lifestyle. There's something else going on in my opinion, but I think lifestyle is also very important.

 

[LSchelin]

This is the latest information I have...read the conclusion

Statins Do Not Decrease Small, Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein

 

[Hayseed]

Drugs are not prescribed because we understand how they work. They are prescribed based on statistics.

How can one argue with statistics? A statistic doesn't explain or even care why.

Statistics is all we have. It extends life for many.

 

[LSchelin]

I'm 79 years old (be 80 in 5 months) and I have three heart attacks, the first one when I was 50 years old. My cholesterol has never exceeded 147, all my numbers are spot on. After my second heart attack, I asked the head of Cardiology at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles "Why have I had two heart attacks when my numbers are so good, he was standing at the foot of my bed, shuffled his feet and told me " It isn't cholesterol" I asked him what it was and his answer was "Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation" The HDL recognizes there is a problem and tries to cover up the inflammation, but in doing so it builds up inside your arteries. I asked what they had to correct that problem, he said: "We don't have anything yet". In January of 2017, I had a Quad By-Pass surgery and feel great now, but I know that another heart attack could be right around the corner.