Book Review: A Statin Free Life
It is widely known that having high cholesterol has adverse health effects, especially increased heart disease risk. But, if that is the case, why has heart disease continued to be one of the leading causes of death among Americans, despite use of medications to lower bad cholesterol (LDL)?
Dr. Aseem Malhotra takes a dive into this issue in his book A Statin Free Life. He suggests that Statins, the drug used to lower cholesterol, are not worth the side effects, and may actually cause more harm than good.
What are Statins?
Statins are the drug most often used to treat high cholesterol in order to decrease the risk of heart disease. Statins work as an anti-inflammatory drug as well as anti-clotting. So, they do not specifically lower LDL cholesterol.
Statins also have major side effects such as increasing blood sugar and risk of diabetes (diabetes is also a major risk factor for heart disease!). They also often cause muscle pain and damage, can cause liver damage, and can cause memory loss.
The Problem with the Research-
Studies have shown that diet and statins do lower LDL cholesterol, but in the end they do not actually lower the rates of heart attacks.
Two major issues Dr. Malhotra points out in the research are:
People that have genetically lower cholesterol have lower averages of heart disease, however it has not been proven that those with higher cholesterol who use drugs and diet to lower cholesterol have a decreased risk of heart disease.
Studies may miss other genetic markers in those individuals with genetically lower LDL and lower heart disease risk. It could be coincidental that LDL is lower or lower LDL could be a result of the actual underlying health factor that is lowering their risk of heart disease.
Overall the current research has not taken a deep enough dive into cholesterol and heart disease to name it a true, causal relationship.
Dr. Malhotra's Research-
Dr. Malhotra conducted research in 2015 that showed increased total cholesterol in people over the age of 60 actually had a decreased risk of death. That is believed to be related to cholesterol's role in the immune system. Having more cholesterol as you age allows your immune system to keep up.
His research also showed that statins only increased life expectancy by about 4 days!
It is no wonder that despite the increased use of statins among the U.S. population, heart disease is still one of the leading causes of death.
Dr. Malhotra's book explains his solutions for decreasing the risk of heart disease without the use of statins or low cholesterol.
Written By: Meghan Hawley, Ellen Byron and Associates
