Cholesterol

In last month’s letter I was going to include a discussion of
cholesterol along with our topics of salt and sugar, but I decided
cholesterol deserved a month all to itself. Keep reading because what
you’ll learn about cholesterol will go way beyond what you think you
already know. It is invaluable information for us all to have and be
able to pass on to others who might be confused about cholesterol.

Cholesterol and the Brain

Your
brain is made up of 50% cholesterol. Your brain cells don’t split and
divide like other cells in your body. They must live longer, so they
have more cholesterol in them. Doesn’t this tell us something about the
need for cholesterol? Your brain cannot get cholesterol from the blood.
The blood-brain barrier prevents this. All cholesterol in the brain is
made in the brain. Reducing brain levels of cholesterol will kill brain
cells. Statins, cholesterol reducing drugs, get into the brain and
interfere with making cholesterol that’s essential for normal brain
function. Yes, you will have lower cholesterol while taking statins, but
at a great cost.

Statins and How They Work

Before
1987 and the introduction of statins, all cholesterol lowering drugs
and dietary interventions didn’t particularly work but weren’t
particularly harmful either. The first statins came about in 1987. There
are about six popular statins, of which Lipitor is the most frequently
used. Statins block complex biochemical pathways present in every cell
in the body. Statins block the cellular production of many compounds,
one of which is cholesterol. One of the unplanned effects of taking
statins is that they block and suppress another enzyme, COQ10. This
enzyme is essential for all muscles to function. So if we get a 40-50%
reduction in cholesterol then we also get a 40-50% reduction in COQ10.
This messes with an essential part of cellular chemistry.

In 2001 new guidelines were put forth by the
National Cholesterol Program for use by doctors who prescribe
statins. Roughly 25 million Americans are taking them, creating a 12
billion dollar a year industry! And that may be a low estimate. Before
this, statins were being used in smaller doses, but in the past few
years there has been a big expansion of these drugs into the elderly and
healthy populations. The elderly may already have a low COQ10 level due
to brain atrophy so if put on statins they’ll see interference with
memory and cognition. If LDL levels are above 140 people are now being
told to take statins as a “preventative” even though they have no heart
disease. Statin research (check out the articles in Lancet of a 2002
study on statins) does not show reduction of heart disease or stroke in
any population except those diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, and
even in those cases there are still dramatic negative side effects from
the drugs. The harm seems to outweigh the little benefit of the
anti-inflammatory response one gets from the drugs. Studies show that
statin use over four years actually increases the risk of heart disease,
stroke and cancer.

There has been a cholesterol neurosis over the last
15 years making cholesterol an evil substance. Having a high LDL level
is “bad” and will lead to a heart attack or stroke. This has been an
incredible myth that still exists, linking high cholesterol levels as a
causative factor in disease. There have been generations of brainwashing
efforts about cholesterol. It’s a lucrative myth and probably the most
profitable one in medical history.

More on the Adverse Effects of Statins

1.
They indeed lower cholesterol, which is dangerous. Cholesterol is
important for brain and nerve function. As I mentioned, one half of your
brain is cholesterol. You will notice a cognitive decline in people
taking statins. And after age 65, the lower your cholesterol levels, the
higher your mortality rate.

2. The interruption of COQ10 is an extremely
negative side effect of the drugs. COQ10 is needed for cellular energy
production and cells that use the most energy are the first to suffer.
COQ10 contributes to ATP in your muscles so its reduction affects the
mitochondria (the powerhouse cells). Heart muscle is the largest user of
COQ10 because it works the hardest so it has more COQ10 in it than any
other tissues in the body. The interference with COQ10 production makes
your heart muscle vulnerable to dysfunction. With statin use you’ll find
a gradual decline in people being able to do what they used to do,
getting more easily fatigued and irritable.

3. Statins are carcinogenic. We don’t really know
yet why statins increase certain cancers. One idea might be that when
you interfere with enzyme Q, you interfere with all bioenergetic systems
including the immune system. People with cancer have been shown to have
low levels of Q so perhaps one’s defenses are weakened and affected
more than we know.

4. The adverse effects from statins can be delayed.
Unlike toxic drugs like chemotherapy which make you sick right away,
statins are unique in their delayed adverse effect. You might be on them
for a few years before you notice memory loss or lack of stamina so you
don’t put the pieces of the puzzle together as easily. The side effects
of statins are progressive over time.

What Can We Do

The
literature is full of confusing information on cholesterol and statins.
Getting into the politics of statin research, the drug companies, and
the FDA and how drugs get approved is a much larger topic than I have
room for here. Don’t underestimate the influence of drug companies on
research, and always check to see who has funded any study you read. And
the FDA seems like an organization we should trust, but buyer beware!
How the FDA came to approve the first statins is a scary story and one
you might want to look at sometime.

When told by physicians to take statins, it’s a
tough call. Doctors generally believe them to be beneficial and take
them themselves. Trust your own instincts on this. You may decide to
change doctors. Some doctors are willing to do a non-invasive ultrasound
called a carotid artery scan. This will show you if your arteries are
fine or if they are filled with plaque, so if you have high LDL levels
and want to see the condition of your arteries this would be helpful.
Some people have a familial trait for making a lot of cholesterol, yet
this doesn’t harm them.

What you want is to improve health and decrease the
risk of heart attack and stroke, right? If your arteries are clogged,
it’s not a good thing. The question to ask however, is why is the plaque
there and how did it get there? The cholesterol molecule lines the
arteries for a reason. There could be multiple reasons or poisons that
have damaged the LDL molecule such as inflammation, toxins, chemicals,
damage from other drugs, food toxins, refined carbohydrates or excess
sugar. Keeping your liver healthy is key. Even snacking in between meals
has been shown to gum up cholesterol metabolism.

Simple lifestyle habits come to mind. Avoid trans
fats. Increase your intake of omega 3 oils. Exercise will decrease your
stress and increase your production of COQ10. Lose weight if you need
to. Exercise, diet modification and supplementation are always worth
looking at before taking drugs. Your cholesterol might not change but
you’ll surely be healthier. What you need is normal healthy cholesterol
metabolism so it doesn’t get gummed up in the arteries. Clogged arteries
are not due to a lack of statins—they are lacking healthy cholesterol
metabolism!

Cholesterol is vital to life and vital to how the
human body makes energy. Reconsider the cholesterol myth and share this
information with people you know taking cholesterol reducing drugs.

Keep moving and finding JOY and make it a great month!

shelli