Click the image below to listen to this weeks podcast!
Happy Friday World!
This weeks podcast is about the cholesterol hypothesis and statin drugs. We are really excited about this weeks topic as it is something that we have been aware of for at least the past decade, but the majority of folks out there are unaware of the history behind the cholesterol hypothesis which led to the low-fat dietary recommendations and the failed food pyramid, and certainly are unaware of the “dark side” of statin drug therapy.
We discuss the origins of the cholesterol hypothesis and how this dates back to 1856 with the discovery by Rudolf Virchow that atherosclerotic plaques contained cholesterol, and the finding in 1913 by Nikolai Anitchkov that rabbits who ate egg yolks developed atherosclerosis, even though rabbits in the wild never get this as they are herbivores who are not designed to eat eggs.
We go on to discuss the “7 Countries Study” done in the early 50’s to show a correlation between high fat diets and heart disease, even though the original data set included 22 countries, and when the remaining 15 countries data are included, no correlation exists.
We cover studies from 2009 to the present exposing inconvenient truths about the cholesterol hypothesis, specifically:
lower LDL levels associated with:
worse 3 year survival following ST-segment elevated heart attack.
lower LDL levels associated with increased 3 year all-cause mortality following non ST-segment elevation heart attack.
decreased life expectancy
Statins used in primary prevention DOES NOT extend life expectancy
Nationwide study from Sweden finds no benefit to statin therapy
Low cholesterol is linked to cancer
Cancer is not directly linked to statin drugs, but they do lower cholesterol…
Pharmacologic mechanisms detailing ways statins contribute to development of heart disease
Low cholesterol levels linked to decreased life spans
LDL-C does not cause cardiovascular disease
We move on to talk about current statin prescribing guidelines and how they fit (or don’t fit) with the above study findings, and the average cholesterol levels among a cohort of healthy men/women/children from 1950.
Finally, we discuss important statistical figures that most people are unaware of regarding statins (and most other drugs) including:
Relative risk reduction vs. Absolute risk reduction
Number needed to treat (NNT)
83 people need to take a statin drug to prevent 1 death
39 people need to take a statin drug to prevent 1 heart attack
125 people need to take a statin drug to prevent 1 stroke
It’s been a great week folks! We hope you have a blessed weekend full of rest and recovery so we can do it all again next week. Please share and subscribe if you haven’t already!
God bless you all,
Micah - Worldview Wellness