THE CHOLESTEROL CONTROVERSY
Scientific literature reveals many contradictions in the so called “lipid hypothesis”, which claims that elevated blood cholesterol causes coronary heart disease. Scores of studies have found a lack of correlation between LDL and total cholesterol levels and the extent of atherosclerotic plaque. Dietary studies intended to lower coronary risk by reducing cholesterol levels haven’t worked out. Cholesterol levels do drop, but risk of a coronary event remains the same. Why do fish oils seem to lower coronary events even though they sometimes increase LDL levels?

Statin drugs seem to have anti-inflammatory and anti-plaque effects apart from their effects on lipids, but no one talks about that either. It may be that they are somewhat beneficial (although not enough to justify their risk of dangerous side effects, including a case I saw recently of near total liver shutdown within 3 months of starting Lipitor), but not because they lower blood fats. Experimentally it is not possible to produce arteriosclerotic plaque in animals by infusing them with high doses of pure cholesterol, and there has been no adequate explanation of the mechanism by which cholesterol might initiate the arteriosclerotic process.

The above facts not-with-standing, orthodox practitioners continue to pay homage to the cholesterol theory of arteriosclerosis. I really believe that apart from very effective marketing and public brainwashing by the big pharmaceutical companies, the main reasons they do so is they don’t know any better, and they want to be able to do something easy but “dramatic” for these ubiquitous heart patients. Their blind devotion to the dogma of the cholesterol theory, however, is counter-productive. It subjects patients to serious risks without adequate proof of substantial benefits, and it slows the better understanding of what is really going on with coronary disease. Taking out the prescription pad IS easy and dramatic, but sometimes it is better to look further for the real causes, and not use drugs at all. Drug companies are into offering dangerous band-aid type products that never really impact the course of the underlying disease, but which make them a lot of money. I suggest my readers look elsewhere for better solutions.