Is cholesterol NOT really a killer?

Dr. Mark Hyman has an interesting take on why cholesterol may not
be the evil heart disease culprit it is made out to be. Photo: Ultramind

Is cholesterol really the heart attack culprit and killer it has been made out to be? Dr. Mark Hyman has an interesting article on why cholesterol may not be the evil heart disease culprit it is made out to be.

He points out that, for decades, scientists have driven home the point that cholesterol is bad for the heart, and that lowering it is good for the heart.

More recently, pharmaceutical companies have spent tens of millions of dollars marketing statin drugs to both doctors and patients under the claim that using statin drugs is proven to work to lower the risk of heart attacks and death.

But on what scientific evidence is this based, what does that evidence really show? Regarding the common view on the benefits of statins, Dr. Hyman invokes the old maxim regarding the questionability of certain statistical conclusions: "There are liars, damn liars, and statisticians."

He points out the prevalence of statistical claims in ads on television and in medical journals, such as those citing a 36% reduction in heart attack risk, and draws our attention to the fine print. He asks us to ask what such numbers actually mean in relation to the fine print, and how such information might affect decisions about who should really be using these drugs.

Dr. Hyman then offers up some interesting findings as food for thought. Among them:

• People who lower bad cholesterol (LDL) but also have low good cholesterol (HDL) gain no benefit to statins.

• People who lower bad cholesterol (LDL) without reducing inflammation (marked by a test called C-reactive protein), there is no benefit to statins.

• For healthy women with high cholesterol, there is no proof that taking statins reduces the risk of heart attack or death.

• For men and women over 69 years old with high cholesterol, there is no proof that taking statins reduces the risk of heart attack or death.

• 75% of people who suffer heart attacks have normal cholesterol

• Older patients with lower cholesterol have higher risks of death than those with higher cholesterol.

• Countries with higher average cholesterol than Americans such as the Swiss or Spanish have less heart disease.

• Recent evidence shows that it is likely statins' ability to lower inflammation it what accounts for the benefits of statins, not their ability to lower cholesterol.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/why-cholesterol-may-not-b_b_290687.html

Generally, Dr. Hyman works to dispel certain common myths about heart attacks and to encourage readers take statistical claims from drug companies with a grain of salt.

He points out that the fine print on the research data shows that the much touted "36% reduction" means a reduction of the number of people getting heart attacks or death from 3% to 2% (or about 30-40%).

He ads that the data also shows that treatment only really works for those with existing heart disease. Those with no existing heart disease gain no benefit.