Cholesterol

1. Cholesterol Is it good or bad? Compiled by Barry Jones

2. Cholesterol Am I qualified to talk about this subject? Dunno, but …………. Compiled by Barry Jones

3. Cholesterol But I do have a certificate of completion for a Evidence-based Optimal Nutrition course issued by HarvardUniversity. Compiled by Barry Jones

4. Cholesterol I do not have a doctorate or a degree in nutrition, but I have studied nutrition and have a recognised diploma (Level 4) in the subject. (Waiting on issue of diploma) Level 8 is a doctorate Level 4 is: • specialist learning, involving detailed analysis of a high level of information and knowledge in an area of work or study • ​suitable for people working in technical and professional jobs, and/or managing and developing others Compiled by Barry Jones

5. Cholesterol Source: AIMEE MCNEW blog.paleohacks.com/ultimate-guide-cholesterol Compiled by Barry Jones

6. Cholesterol Cholesterol is in every cell of your body, it repairs your cells, its essential to life and has important natural functions when it comes to digesting foods, producing hormones, and generating vitamin D. Cholesterol is an essential substance that is produced by the body but is also ingested from animal-derived foods. Source: Medical News Today Compiled by Barry Jones

7. Cholesterol Cholesterol is an organic molecule. It is a sterol, a type of lipid molecule, and is biosynthesized by all animal cells, because it is an essential structural component of all animal cell membranes and is essential to maintain both membrane structural integrity and fluidity. Source: Medical News Today Compiled by Barry Jones

8. Cholesterol If the medical profession tests your blood and finds that you have high cholesterol, they have a knee jerk reaction- -and prescribe a cholesterol reducing drug Question: what are the reasons for reducing your cholesterol? Compiled by Barry Jones

9. Cholesterol Answer: There are 19 billion reasons to lower cholesterol, according to the London-based research firm Visiongain! Source: Visiongain Compiled by Barry Jones

10. Cholesterol 19 billion dollars is what is earned by the drug companies in selling cholesterol reducing drugs! In 2017 the global cholesterol-lowering industry is worth $19.2 Billion and is forecast to grow 4.9% each year during the next five years. Which means that the industry will be worth $24.4 Billion in 2022. Source: Visiongain Compiled by Barry Jones

11. Cholesterol This data flies in the face of the numerous media reports we have seen in recent years referring to statins as cheap, costing a few pennies. Those people supporting the mass use of statins have also tried to claim that the financial incentive to lie to people about statins and cholesterol no longer exists because statins are cheap and most statins are off-patent. Clearly, the financial incentive to keep this terrible mess going is very much still there. Source: Visiongain Compiled by Barry Jones

12. Cholesterol ABC News medical contributor, Dr. Marie Savard, in an opinion piece, advises the approximately 13 million Americans taking statins to lower cholesterol, that there are side effects that doctors often don’t take into account. Fatigue was found to be a real concern for some users. A recent study showed that pravastatin and simvastatin were associated with a decrease in energy and activity levels among users when compared to a placebo. Dr. Savard says other side effects can include muscle weakness and memory problems, which many doctors may not fully be aware of. Compiled by Barry Jones

13. Statins' Flawed Studies and False Advertising Statin drugs were originally prescribed for secondary prevention (the prevention of a second heart attack or stroke with clear signs of heart disease) Today a majority of people taking the drugs are doing so for primary prevention of heart disease, even if they’re otherwise healthy Many of the key studies used to justify this switch were flawed, biased, and deceptively reported to hype the drugs’ benefits while minimizing their risks Source: an American doctor, DrMercola Institute of Science in Society Compiled by Barry Jones

14. Statins' Flawed Studies and False Advertising In the US, guidelines issued in 2013 state that if you answer "yes" to ANY of the following four questions, your treatment protocol will call for a statin drug: 1. Do you have heart disease? 2. Do you have diabetes? (either type 1 or type 2) 3. Is your LDL cholesterol above 190? 4. Is your 10-year risk of a heart attack greater than 7.5 percent? Your 10-year heart attack risk involves the use of a cardiovascular risk calculator, which researchers have warned may overestimate your risk by anywhere from 75 to 150 percent — effectively turning even very healthy people at low risk for heart problems into candidates for statins. The guideline also does away with the previous recommendation to use the lowest drug dose possible and instead basically focuses ALL the attention on statin-only treatment and at higher dosages. Source: an American doctor, DrMercola. Institute of Science in Society Compiled by Barry Jones

15. Statins' Flawed Studies and False Advertising Flawed Studies Call into Question Statins' Effectiveness, Safety. Originally, statin drugs were prescribed for secondary prevention, meaning the prevention of a second heart attack or stroke if you'd already suffered one and had clear signs of heart disease. But today a majority of people taking the drugs are doing so for primary prevention, i.e. "preventive medicine" – to help prevent people with certain risk factors of heart disease – although otherwise healthy – from having a heart attack or stroke in the first place. This switch came largely as the result of flawed studies that hyped statins' effectiveness while downplaying the risks. Among the first was the ASTEROID trial, published in 2006. It found that the high-dose statin drug Crestor led to significant reductions in plaque volume with no unusual side effects. However, as reported by the Institute of Science in Society :- Source: an American doctor, DrMercola. Institute of Science in Society Compiled by Barry Jones

16. Statins' Flawed Studies and False Advertising -it was the cross-sectional areas of atheroma [arterial plaque] that were compared before and after treatment, as it was assumed that these measurements were directly proportional to their volumes and that the area of the lumen [the inside of an artery] would show a corresponding increase. However, what was not discussed in either the press releases or the article was that the lumen area actually decreased by 4%, and… the images also showed that the arterial wall had thickened. This might not be beneficial because a smaller lumen and a stiffer arterial wall would both tend to increase blood pressure, an effect also not addressed in the published report. Source: an American doctor, DrMercola. Institute of Science in Society Compiled by Barry Jones

17. Statins' Flawed Studies and False Advertising Shortly after the ASTEROID trial came the JUPITER study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008. It boasted that statin drugs could lower the risk of heart attack by 54 percent, the risk of stroke by 48 percent, the risk of needing angioplasty or bypass surgery by 46 percent, and the risk of death from all causes by 20 percent. The funding for this study came from none other than AstraZeneca, the maker of statin drug Crestor – and once again, we find that industry-funded claims of health benefits for highly profit-producing drugs need to be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. Source: an American doctor, DrMercola. Institute of Science in Society Compiled by Barry Jones

18. Statins' Flawed Studies and False Advertising The Institute of Science in Society reported: "The lead author is a co-holder of the patent for the hsCRP test used, which became the standard method of measurement at $50.00/test. Nine of the 14 authors had significant financial ties to AstraZeneca, whose investigators also collected, controlled, and managed the raw data and monitored the collection sites.” Source: an American doctor, DrMercola, Institute of Science in Society Compiled by Barry Jones

19. Statins' Flawed Studies and False Advertising “Further, statin advocates used a statistical tool called relative risk reduction (RRR) to amplify statins' trivial beneficial effects. If you look at absolute risk, statin drugs benefit just 1 percent of the population. This means that out of 100 people treated with the drugs, one person will have one less heart attack. In the Jupiter trial, the public and healthcare workers were informed of a 54 percent reduction in heart attacks, when the actual effect in reduction of coronary events was less than 1 percentage point…" Source: an American doctor, DrMercola Institute of Science in Society Compiled by Barry Jones

20. Statins' Flawed Studies and False Advertising Cholesterol helps produce cell membranes, and in addition it also plays a role in the production of hormones (including the sex hormones testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen) and bile acids that help you digest fat. Cholesterol is also essential for your brain, which contains about 25 percent of the cholesterol in your body. It is critical for synapse formation, i.e. the connections between your neurons, which allow you to think, learn new things, and form memories… Statin drugs are effective and do to lower cholesterol, but as your levels fall you may assume that is proof that you're getting healthier, that you're becoming well. But that would be far from the truth. There is far more that goes into your risk of heart disease than your cholesterol levels… and there is evidence showing that statins may actually make your heart health worse. Source: an American doctor, DrMercola Institute of Science in Society Compiled by Barry Jones

21. Statins' Flawed Studies and False Advertising In addition, as explained by Dr. Stephen Sinatra, a board-certified cardiologist, statins block not just cholesterol production pathways, but several other biochemical pathways as well, including CoQ10 and squalene — the latter of which Dr. Sinatra believes is essential in preventing breast cancer. Not to mention, statins increase your risk for many other serious side effects as well. They inhibit the function of vitamin K2 in your body, which means taking them may put you at risk of vitamin K2 deficiency, a condition known to contribute to a number of chronic diseases, including: Osteoporosis, Heart disease, Heart attack and stroke, Inappropriate calcification, from heel spurs to kidney stones, Brain disease and Cancer. Source: an American doctor, DrMercola Institute of Science in Society Compiled by Barry Jones

22. Statins' Flawed Studies and False Advertising Statins also deplete your body of CoQ10, which accounts for many of their devastating results. So if you're taking a statin drug, you simply MUST take coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinol as a supplement. You cannot get enough of it through your diet. Source: an American doctor, DrMercola Institute of Science in Society Compiled by Barry Jones

23. Cholesterol Log onto www.statinnation.net They will tell you that the latest heart disease statistics reveal some alarming facts. Such as: •People with high cholesterol tend to live longer •People with heart disease are more likely to have low levels of cholesterol •Cholesterol-lowering at a population level does not reduce the rate of heart disease Source: Visiongain Compiled by Barry Jones

24. Cholesterol Log onto www.statinnation.net They will also tell you that statins have various side effects which for some people can be debilitating and or serious, such as: • Muscle pain and damage • Liver damage • Kidney failure • Increased blood sugar or type 2 diabetes • Neurological side effects Source: Visiongain Compiled by Barry Jones

25. Cholesterol Log onto www.statinnation.net Who's at risk of developing statin side effects? Not everyone who takes a statin will have side effects, but some people may be at a greater risk than are others. Risk factors include: •Taking multiple medications to lower your cholesterol •Being female •Having a smaller body frame •Being age 65 or older •Having kidney or liver disease •Drinking too much alcohol Source: Visiongain Compiled by Barry Jones

26. Cholesterol The reduction in risk of having a heart attack by taking a statin is 0.1%. Put another way it’s just one tenth of one percent! If you take a statin, you have reduced your risk of a heart attack by 1/10 of 1% Doh! I may be slow but is it worth the potential side effects opposed to the gains. Apparently, statins are the most prescribed drug globally. Compiled by Barry Jones

27. Cholesterol • I’m not telling you to stop taking the drug, but I urge you to try and find clear evidence (hard to do) that statins are more beneficial than harmful. • Try to find proponents of statins that are not involved financially in the production and sale of statins. (Hard to do.) • Try to find proponents of statins that have not done the research themselves but have accepted the word of those with a financial gain in the production and sale of statins. (Very easy.) • Try to find those who oppose statins and have done research on statins. (Growing.) Compiled by Barry Jones

28. Cholesterol So, what is going on? If cholesterol is essential why do the medical profession say that it’s bad? Is it actually bad? There supposedly two types of cholesterol, the good high density lipids HDL, and low density lipids LDL, the bad boy! Compiled by Barry Jones

29. Cholesterol LDL got its bad rap because oxidized LDL can lead to plaque build-up in the arteries. Oxidation happens when inflammation damages cells, and they start functioning abnormally. Compiled by Barry Jones

30. An imaginary conversation about cholesterol Nah! It earns my industry 19 billion dollars/year Is cholesterol bad? Compiled by Barry Jones

31. An imaginary conversation about cholesterol Q: Why does cholesterol block (allegedly) arteries? A: To make a repair. Q: To repair what? A: Lesions. Q: What lesions? A: Arterial lesions caused by inflammation. Cholesterol is a kind of a “Band-Aid” to repair the lesion and stop the artery from leaking. However, the “Patch” does cause an obstruction. Q: So, no lesion would mean no “patch”, correct? A: Correct. Compiled by Barry Jones

32. Cholesterol Compiled by Barry Jones

33. Cholesterol Compiled by Barry Jones

34. Cholesterol Blocked arteries can lead to high blood pressure and an aneurysm. About 13,000 deaths occur each year in the United States from aortic aneurysms. Although the exact cause of an aneurysm is unclear, certain factors contribute to the condition. For example, damaged tissue in the arteries can play a role. The arteries can be harmed by blockages, such as fatty deposits. These deposits can trigger the heart to pump harder than necessary to push blood past the fatty buildup. This stress can damage the arteries because of the increased pressure. Compiled by Barry Jones

35. Cholesterol High blood pressure may also cause an aneurysm. The force of your blood as it travels through your blood vessels is measured by how much pressure it places on your artery walls. If the pressure increases above a normal rate, it may enlarge or weaken the blood vessels. Blood pressure for an adult is considered normal at or below 120/80 mm Hg, or millimeters of mercury. A significantly higher blood pressure can increase the risk for heart, blood vessel, and circulation problems. Higher-than-normal blood pressure doesn’t necessarily put you at risk for an aneurysm. Source: www.healthline.com Compiled by Barry Jones

36. Cholesterol I think that this is a very interesting point, as once you gain an understanding of how the body is trying to heal itself you may well come to the conclusion that cholesterol is not the culprit. It does not appear to be the root cause, it’s a secondary cause! Yes this plaque does block the arteries, but it’s a response to a lesion and or inflammation. So what is the root cause? What is causing the inflammation and subsequent lesion? Compiled by Barry Jones

37. DA-DA Compiled by Barry Jones

38. Sugar From a dietary standpoint, trans fats and refined sugars ramp up inflammation much faster than foods that contain cholesterol. Unlike cholesterol, which the body produces, trans fats and refined sugars won’t be synthesized in the body if we don’t eat enough. In fact, they aren’t needed at all, and can be quite damaging in a number of ways. Compiled by Barry Jones

39. Trans Fats Trans fats are damaged fats that occur as a result of over processing foods, and are not the heart-healthy fats that are found in nature. Trans fats are often considered bad because they’re linked with raising “bad” cholesterol, but it isn’t that they raise LDL so much as they damage the existing LDL cells, resulting in plaque deposits that can cause problems. Compiled by Barry Jones

40. Sugar In technical terms, bad cholesterol is believed to atherogenic, or it promotes the formation of fatty plaques in the arteries. That’s why numerous pharmaceutical drugs, namely statins, target this cholesterol. But according to prevailing thought and new research, focusing on bad cholesterol may be bad medicine. Research published this in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) suggests otherwise. And according to researchers, provides rationale to reevaluate heart health guidelines. The research team — comprised of experts from seven different countries — evaluated data collected from 19 studies on a total of 68,094 older adults. The team was seeking to determine if LDL cholesterol is associated with death in the older adults. Source: Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist the University of California, San Francisco. Compiled by Barry Jones

41. Sugar Researchers say almost 80 percent of the participants in the studies who had high LDL cholesterol did not die because of their cholesterol level. On the other hand, researchers discovered people with low levels of LDL cholesterol, or LDL-C, had the highest rates of death related to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Source: Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist the University of California, San Francisco. Compiled by Barry Jones

42. Cholesterol It would appear to be particle size with LDL being an abnormal size. LDL of an abnormal size is always found at the site of an arterial blockage, as is: • White blood cells • Collagen plaque • Calcium There is always more collagen than LDL but we don’t seem to worry about that? Compiled by Barry Jones

43. Sugar Much of the medical profession now believe that sugar is the problem and not fat and red meat. Of course the drug companies have 19 billion reasons to believe otherwise! The fact remains that more than 60% of our diet is highly processed with copious amounts of added sugar. The sugar association, (Then know as The Sugar Research Foundation), paid a Prof Mark Hegsted to lie about the effects of sugar and exaggerate the effects of fat. Compiled by Barry Jones

44. Another imaginary conversation about cholesterol Q: So what you are telling me is that we are treating the symptom and not the cause, right? A: Right. Q: So if we reduce our sugar intake, we reduce the likelihood of an arterial lesion, right? A: Right. Q: Then I won’t need to take cholesterol reducing drugs, right? A: Right. But depending on how much damage your arteries have suffered you may still need some form of medical treatment. Compiled by Barry Jones

45. Cholesterol Testing Traditional methods of testing and measurement of cholesterol does not directly measure LDL’s. The level of LDL is inferred by measuring the other lipids and estimating the LDL. So if you have this amount of HDL, you will have this amount of LDL. This method is only about 40% accurate. Which means that 60% of people have been misdiagnosed. Some have been prescribed medication which they do not need! Source: Life Extension Magazine Compiled by Barry Jones

46. Cholesterol Testing Scientists have developed a more advanced blood test that can far more accurately gauge your risk of heart disease. The Vertical Auto Profile (VAP) test augments the standard cholesterol profile with additional measurements that can identify the risk of cardiovascular disease. Source: Life Extension Magazine Compiled by Barry Jones

47. Cholesterol Testing The expanded information from the VAP test includes: • More accurate, direct measurement of LDL. (90% accuracy) • Measurement of LDL pattern density. This is important because small, dense LDL (“Pattern B”) triples the likelihood of developing coronary plaque and suffering a heart attack. • Measurement of lipoprotein subclasses, which include HDL2 and HDL3, intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL1, VLDL2, VLDL3), and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], a particularly dangerous lipoprotein that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Source: Life Extension Magazine Compiled by Barry Jones

48. Cholesterol Source: Eric Berg CD Compiled by Barry Jones

49. Cholesterol Deficiency • Depression • Cancer • Strokes • Aortic dissection • Prone to suicide • Short term memory loss • Susceptible to infection • Greater risk of aids • Susceptible to allergies/asthma Source Eric Berg CD Compiled by Barry Jones

50. Cholesterol Deficiency Did you know that LDL , the bad boy, is not cholesterol? It’s a lipid, a lipoprotein! Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is one of the five major groups of lipoprotein which transport all fat molecules around the body in the extracellular water. LDL particles are formed as VLDL lose triglyceride through the action of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and they become smaller and denser (i.e. fewer fat molecules with same protein transport shell), containing a higher proportion of cholesterol esters. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Compiled by Barry Jones