The Truth About Cholesterol and Statin Drugs

Updated: January 15th 2010

I have been reading a book lately by Dr. David Brownstein called “Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do”.  In the first section of the book Dr. Brownstein sheds some truths on the subject of Cholesterol.  This article will be about the truths surrounding Cholesterol and Statin Drugs.  Topics and content will be based on Dr. Bronstein’s book as well as more information that I find from other sources.

HISTORY

Why all of a sudden is Cholesterol causing Cardiovascular disease within the body, when it did not do so before the 1900’s?  A doctor in physiology named Ancel Keys published a study shortly after WW2.  His study claimed that he found a link between dietary fat intake and the development of Cardiovascular disease.  This study was the start in conventional medicine’s campaign proclaiming that high Cholesterol will lead to heart disease.  The major flaw with this study was that Keys only included 6 out of the 22 countries studied in his final report.  Only these 6 countries showed favorable results for Keys while the other 16 did not, so he simply did not include them in the final published results.  If one adds the other 16 countries into the published results, the results are not conclusive.  Again, Keys had only selected what countries catered to his needs that showed a decrease in heart disease when lowering dietary fat intake.  The information regarding the 6 countries in the study is made available to every medical student since its publication.  Doctors are being taught a lie based on false results right from the start. 

In 1958 Keys also published data showing that countries with the highest Cholesterol levels had the highest rate of cardiovascular disease.  Finland as an example had the highest rate of cardiovascular disease mortality in Europe, and it was more prevalent in eastern Finland than western Finland.  Keys was hailed as a great physician, and was even put on the cover of Time magazine.  This data made the “Cholesterol causes Cardiovascular Disease” hypothesis accelerate even more.  

Western medicine has been obsessed at pointing the finger at Cholesterol ever since Keys’s publications.  The claim is that by lowering Cholesterol and fat intake in general you can lower your chance of getting heart disease and dying from it.  Ever since this has happened we have been cultured in society to believe that lowering fat intake is the way to go, or serious consequences will arise.  We have been brought up on low fat foods everywhere we go.  There are commercials promoting low fat foods, billboards promote low fat foods, magazines and low fat books promote all of this low fat food.  It is so ingrained into the fabric of society that nobody stops to think of the history behind all of this.  Nobody questions the reasons behind why they say that Cholesterol causes heart disease, they simply accept what is given to them as fact.  I think it is time to look into the truth on the matter a little deeper before it is too late. 

OTHER RESEARCH

In 1918, researchers demonstrated that feeding Iodine to rabbits could prevent the deposit of Cholesterol in arteries of rabbits that were fed extra amounts of Cholesterol.  These studies were reproduced and similar results were reported in the study four other times.  

After Keys’s publications, researchers in Finland decided to look at a variety of different dietary components including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.  All together, 47 items were studied.  Iodine showed the greatest statistical difference between eastern and western Finland.  Risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 353% higher in individuals with goiter, which is caused by Iodine deficiency.  There was also a significantly lowered death age in those with goiter vs. those without.  Again, the number one cause of goiter is low Iodine. 

In 1970 researchers looked at the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in 21 Finnish cities as it related to trace elements in drinking water.  Among the elements tested were Calcium, Chlorine, Fluorine, Bromine and Iodine.  Angina, Coronary Thrombosis, Hypertensive diseases and Atherosclerosis rates were measured as well.  The strongest correlation was again Iodine.  The highest intake of Iodine correlated with the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease.  Finland proactively increased Iodine intake in its population, adding it to dairy and adding it to animal feeds.  In the past several decades cardiovascular mortality has decreased by over 50% and life expectancy has increased over 5 years.  Finland currently has the highest iodine intake of any European country. 

Studies show that Cholesterol was found to increase the bodies excretion of Iodine.  Iodine and lipid levels were tested on 136 individuals.  Iodine deficiency is what causes goiter, or enlargement of the thyroid.  In the study, compared to Iodine sufficient, non-goitrous controls… the Iodine-deficient goitrous subjects had significantly higher average Cholesterol levels and LDL Cholesterol levels. 

When you think of the actions Finland took, and what has become of it you would think that Iodine would be known about, but this information has been flat out ignored by the medical community.  Could it be that Iodine deficiency is the number 1 reason for clogged arteries in our society?  Are we as a nation being misled?  Yes we are!  Iodine is another nutrient that is crucial, and I will be writing about this precious nutrient sometime soon.  95% of the population is deficient in it and it is causing more health problems then the establishments want to admit. 

Dr. Brownstein puts it this way… “Most of these people that have high Cholesterol do not have a Statin deficiency problem, they have an Iodine deficiency problem and correcting the Iodine deficiency problem will lower the Cholesterol”. 

CHOLESTEROL FACTS

Cholesterol is extremely beneficial to the body and is needed for many key things within it.  Without calculating dietary intake of Cholesterol, your body will make about 1 gram of Cholesterol a day if you weight roughly 150lbs.  This has been happening in everyone for a very long time, much longer than the last 70 years since all of a sudden “Cholesterol” causes cardiovascular diseases.  A lack of Cholesterol will increase your risks of mortality for many reasons. 

Cholesterol holds your cell membranes and lipid structures together, it keeps the proper fluids within the cells, and it signals nerve conduction.  It is needed for a healthy immune and hormone system. The recent problems associated with plaque buildup in the walls of your arteries are not because of Cholesterol.  Cholesterol is not the problem, Cholesterol is the bodies response to the real problem.   Cholesterol helps us not get depressed, because it plays a role in the utilization of serotonin.  Cholesterol in general, more specifically LDL helps the body fight infection.

People these days are becoming extremely Vitamin D deficient, ever wonder why?  Cholesterol is the major precursor to Vitamin D synthesis within the skin, so without enough Cholesterol in the skin you will not make enough Vitamin D from the sun.  Cholesterol is necessary for Fat and mineral absorption.  Cholesterol is THE main ingredient in bile salts, and without those salts you cannot properly assimilate fats and digest your foods.  Without bile salts you will have problems assimilating Vitamins A, D, E, and K.  Once Cholesterol is used from the bile salts, about half is reabsorbed in the small intestine to be used in the body.  Cholesterol is THE primary organic molecule in the brain, and it is needed to maintain the myelin sheath coatings that covers all nerve cells.  Having healthy myelin sheath improves neuron impulses.  Low Cholesterol levels inhibit serotonin receptors from properly working.  Is it any wonder why we are all so depressed, brain fogged and so malnourished these days? 

A lack of Cholesterol can cause any number of problems in the body.  These include brain neuropathy, vitamin deficiency, cancer, autoimmune disorders, fatigue, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, lowered libido, arthritis, depression, hypertension and hypotension and more.  A cause of low Cholesterol is usually a symptom of an underlying illness.  Cholesterol is THE precursor molecule in the production of ALL adrenal hormones/steroids.  Dr. Brownstein states in his book that it is impossible to overcome many chronic health conditions if your hormones aren’t properly balanced.  Hormone imbalances can lead to conditions such as allergies, unstable blood sugar, inflammation, difficulty breathing, reproductive issues and more.  Below is the biosynthetic pathway that adrenal hormones are made in the body, shown in Dr. Brownstein’s book which I have added onto. 

 

As you can see there are many hormones that will be disrupted if you start lowering your Cholesterol levels, because Cholesterol is the beginning of the entire chain.  The body has its own checks and balances in dealing with regulation of all systems within it, and the regulation of adrenal hormones is no different.  If these adrenal hormones are not balanced properly, then the body will signal the liver to produce more Cholesterol in order to prime the hormonal pathway.  This means that when people have high Cholesterol they also likely have an imbalance in their adrenal hormone levels.  If you have high Cholesterol levels and your adrenal hormones are out of whack at the same time then why would you want to take a drug to lower your Cholesterol?  Won’t that make your hormones more imbalanced and make your body work even harder to raise its own Cholesterol?  That might be something to think about, as many people that have seriously high Cholesterol barely respond to Statin drugs.

 

STATIN DRUGS

What is a Statin Drug?  A Statin is used to lower your Cholesterol levels when it is “too high”.  Shown below is another diagram that Dr. Brownstein has in this book, which I have added onto a bit. I could keep expanding into more of the pathway but you get the general idea.  First, it shows the biosynthetic pathway of how Cholesterol is produced in the body.  This pathway is part of the Mevalonate pathway.  It also shows that a Statin drugs purpose is to poisons the liver enzyme HMG-CoA Reductace, affecting a lot of other things outside of just Cholesterol.  Take a good long look at this and realize what is happening.  All you are ever told is that Statin drugs lower Cholesterol.  Is there anything else that the drug might be doing?  Looks like it to me!

 

Dr. Brownstein states the following, “Common sense says that the long-term use of items that poison crucial enzymes or block important receptors will not have a positive benefit”.  Statin drugs can lower the blood concentration levels of Vitamin E, affect prostate PSA, cause Myopathy of muscle tissue, liver damage, various cancers, brain fog, heart failure, depression, and more.  All of these things are associated with the lowering of Cholesterol levels, while also doing so to everything that Cholesterol brings to the body.

SELENOPROTEINS

Statin drugs tend to block the vital pathway by which Selenoproteins (Selenium) are utilized.  This is part of the Mevalonate pathway that is being blocked.  Selenium is converted into proteins and enzymes in the body and is used for multiple things.  Cognitive dysfunction and various types of Myopathy are seen in areas deficient in Selenoproteins.

COENZYME Q10

Coenzyme Q10 production for example is something your doctor might fail to tell you, and might not even know about unless they have done their research.  This is one of the reasons that heart disease rates have been going up since the start of Statin drug use, because your heart needs plentiful amounts of CoQ10 to have the energy to function correctly.  Not only is your heart not getting enough CoQ10 while you take a Statin, your heart isn’t getting the valuable Cholesterol it needs as well.  How long will it be before Statin drugs are removed from the market because they are found to be dangerous?  The information is in front of you right now, they are dangerous.  How long will it be before millions of people are dead from what they call a “safe” drug? 

TAU PROTEIN SYNTHESIS

When normal phosphorylation is interfered with by Mevalonate pathway blockade, our cells increase the production of Tau protein. Tau is the protein substance of the neurofibrilatory tangles common to Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.  This can lead to Neuro-Degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease
and Alzheimer’s Disease.

HEME A

HEME A works with other HEME components to make things like Hemoglobin and Myoglobin.  Both are used in oxygen transport within the body. Myoglobin is the primary oxygen-carrying pigment of muscle tissues.  What happens when you start limiting that oxygen within your body? 

DOLICHOL

Dolichol is found in the skin and is used to filter harmful radiation from the sun.  It is a natural sun block for our skin.  Dolichol is at the very center of cell communication and immunodefense.  Dolichol is an absolute necessity in protein synthesis inside the endoplasmic reticulum of each of our cells and it is in charge of each command given to each peptide.  This apparently is taught in medical school biochemistry has obviously been ignored.  If you know anything about proteins know this, protein function is dependant entirely on the final end structure of the protein.  If a protein folds incorrectly it will not work as it was intended.  Dolichol is extremely important and orchestrates this entire process.  Dr Duane Graveline MD, MPH talks about this very well in these few quotes.

“In each of our billions of body cells are tiny mini-factories of immense complexity known as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and its companion piece the Golgi apparatus (GA). It is in the ER that bits of protein are attached one to the other, like popcorn on a string, to become peptide strands ultimately governing everything we do. This recipe for action is passed on to the GA where it is packaged into a vesicle and carried away for storage until called upon. Orchestrating this entire process is a substance known as Dolichol”

“This Dolichol-mediated process is involved in neuropeptide formation and cell communication, cell identification and immune system functions. This complex role is such that almost anything can be expected when Dolichols are deficient. Altered emotional and behavioral reactions associated with Statin use are likely explained by altered neuropeptide formation.”

“Without Dolichol there would be intracellular chaos as various proteins could not be directed to their proper target and would, in effect, be dead-lettered. The post office analogy, though childishly simple, comes very close to describing Dolichol’s function as it is understood today.”

5 major studies done with Statin drugs that Dr. Brownstein references in his book show the following figures.   20,500 adults taking Zocor for 5 years had a mortality rate decline of 1.7%… 5,800 adults taking Pravachol had a mortality rate decline of 0.2%… 10,350 adults for 6 years Pravachol had a mortality rate decline of 0.4%… 19,340 hypertensive adults for 3.3 years Lipitor had a mortality rate decline of 0.465%…  4,160 adults who had either a heart attack or angina taking either Lipitor or Pravachol.  The Lipitor group showed a 2.2% decrease while the Pravachol group showed a 3.2% decrease.  All in all the average of the 5 studies was a 0.775% reduction in mortality. 

Is this where they get the claim that Statin drugs significantly reduce the risk of heart disease?  I am not seeing anything significant here… How can this all be based on a less than 1% decrease?  Marketing…

The side effects of Statin drugs Lipitor (atorvastatin) , Lescol (fluvastatin) , Mevacor (lovastatin) , Pravachol (pravastatin) , Zocor (simvastatin) , Crestor (rosuvastatin) include diarrhea, constipation, heart burn, difficulty sleeping, gas, headache, joint pain, nausea, vomiting, allergic reactions, skin rash, fever, muscle cramps, muscle weakness, stomach upset or pain, tiredness.  All of these digestive problems, brain problems, muscle problems and energy problems are not due to the Statin drugs, they are all due to the lowered Cholesterol in your body caused by the Statin drugs.  These are all symptoms that your body is producing to show that it is not happy and that something is wrong.

The muscle weakness is due to the lack of CoQ10 and may not show up for a couple of years after using a Statin.  Heart failure is another big problem with Statin drug use, and this is again because of the lack of CoQ10 which the heart needs a lot of as well as the Cholesterol.  Neurological problems often occur when using a Statin, tingling and pain in the hands and feet, brain fog, depression, memory loss, global amnesia and cancer are all caused by Statin drug use.

THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF STATINS

Ah at last, we have made it to the key fact revolving around this whole thing.  One positive effect of a Statin is its anti-inflammatory properties.  It was found out several years ago that Cholesterol reduction is not the reason that Statin drugs work to lower mortality from Cardiovascular disease, INFLAMMATION SUPPRESSION is the reason Statin drugs work.  This was not publicly acknowledged by the pharmaceutical companies, and nothing has changed ever since.  It is business as usual.  It is time for the pharmaceutical companies to own up to the research and stop driving with their greed.  The fact is that it doesn’t matter if you lower Cholesterol or not, studies show that anti-inflammatory properties lower Cardiovascular disease mortality.  With the truth exposed and the knowledge of what Cholesterol deficiency does to the body, one must get off Statin drugs immediately if they are taking them!  You put yourself in far more danger than just having lower Cholesterol levels.

“Atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of heart attacks and strokes, is believed to be the result of inflammatory factors that may be associated with deficiencies of vitamin B6, 12 and Folic acid allowing abnormally high levels of homocysteine, the major player in atherosclerotic change, with coagulation defects, platelet factors and selected anti-oxidant deficiencies responsible for most of the rest and Cholesterol no longer deserving even a place in the lineup.” Dr. Duane Graveline MD, MPH

 

SOME STATIN ALTERNATIVES

While reading this, Iodine seems to be quite a potent link in the Cholesterol story.  You can read the latest truth about Iodine here.  A lot of research is being done by a small group of individuals, and it is truly amazing what they are finding out about Iodine deficiency.  I will write something about this soon if I get some time.

Dr. Brownstein states that correcting the adrenal hormone imbalances of an individual will lower Cholesterol levels.  This works because Cholesterol is the precursor molecule in the production of ALL adrenal hormones.  In his book “The Miracle of Natural Hormones, 3rd Edition”, Brownstein talks all about using bio-identical doses of hormones to correct Cholesterol levels.  This is highly suggested because you will be directly fixing an underlying trigger that is causing the higher Cholesterol levels.  When you find out that Statin drugs poison an enzyme within the body, one can only ask “What are the ramifications in doing such a thing?”  Drugs are always used to cover up a symptom and will never get to the root cause of any problem.  It is no different in this case.  In this situation, and in most, the drug causes other problems as well, thus requiring you to take even more medications.  Most doctors will keep prescribing more and more medication as more and more symptoms appear.  This will keep you sick and will in fact make you even more so.

Plant based Sterols/Stanols and Fiber reduce LDL Cholesterol by reducing the absorption of Cholesterol in the intestines.  Don’t eat Trans Fat, it has zero benefits in the body.  Olive oil can lower your LDL Cholesterol.  The B Vitamin “Niacin” can lower your LDL and triglyceride counts while also raising your HDL Cholesterol.  There are many other things that lower Cholesterol naturally without the side effects of a Statin drug.

HEART DISEASE

Stop drinking pasteurized milk.  Pasteurized milk contains synthetic vitamin D, which will cause soft tissues to become hard, and hard tissues to become soft.  Also, the calcium in pasteurized milk products will deposit into the walls of your blood vessels.  This is one of the major causes of heart disease, not Cholesterol.  Dificiency in vitamins A and D, B6 and B12, Folic Acid and Minerals will contribute to heart disease.  Stress and trans fat can also greatly contribute to heart disease, and both can easily be corrected and managed.  Cholesterol has no bearing on heart disease, and people with high cholesterol get heart disease just as much as people with low cholesterol.  Eat complete foods by eating your meats with the skin and fat, drink your milk raw and whole, take fermented cod liver oil that has not been processed, eat liver at least once a week, and never eat lean meats “protein” products.  Proper nutrition will get you healthy, not diet fads and diet foods.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Statin drugs have been one of the biggest health cons of the century, and Big Pharma is raking in tens of millions of dollars every year from it at the expense of your health.  Why would they want to accept the truth and stop that money from piling in?  The fact that you do not hear about this information should be of concern to you, and believe it or not there is a lot more that you are not being told from the medical community. 

I could go on and on about Statin drugs and how bad they are, and maybe I will revise this at a later date.  I think you can clearly see what is happening at this time.  Statin drugs do lower Cholesterol but this is not the reason it lowers Cardiovascular disease.  Now that you know the facts, my questions to you are the following.  Are you going to use a Statin Drug to lower your Cholesterol?  Are you going to look into using Iodine to lower your Cholesterol?  If you have high Cholesterol, are you going to look into hormones as a possible cause of your elevated Cholesterol? 

Until next time…

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