High Cholesterol

Why do three-quarters of heart attack victims have cholesterol levels that are in the “normal range”?

Statins have been around for over 30 years, and have been the most widely prescribed drug for a couple of decades. Why is heart disease still the number 1 cause of death?

Inuit peoples eat a diet high in animal fat (seal and whale blubber), but heart disease is non-existent. How come?

The French eat tons of butter, cream, fats, and meat, but have very low occurrences of heart disease. How is this possible?

Almost everyone in my family tree lived well into their 80s and many into their 90s. These are people who ate biscuits made with lard, country ham, and eggs for breakfast every morning, leftover biscuits for lunch, and fried chicken and potatoes for dinner. No one knew what cholesterol was. They were farmers and sharecroppers.

They don’t really know what’s going on with diet and heart disease, and fat/cholesterol are the scapegoats. Ancel Keyes glommed onto to it with his fraudulent 7 countries study. I think “the cholesterol myth” will be exposed in time. Probably going to boil down to processed foods, sugar, and sedentary lifestyle.

My family doctor, a retired Navy pecker-checker, tried to put me on statins. Like a drug pusher, he said, “we’ll start you on a low dose regimen.” If you saw the NNT (number needed to treat) versus NNH (number needed to harm) data analysis, you wouldn’t take statins. Minuscule benefit versus considerable side effects.

“Good news and bad news, Mr. Moore. Your cholesterol level is down 20 points, but now you're a diabetic and have permanent muscle damage.”

If you want to lower your cholesterol without abusing your body, there is a study on the NIH website, linked below. Aged garlic, vitamin B-12 super complex, and L-arginine. I lowered my cholesterol 50 points taking these supplements. I know I seem to contradict myself, but this is just a hedge in case it IS cholesterol.

Aged garlic extract supplemented with B vitamins, folic acid and L-arginine ####### the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis: a randomized clinical trial - PubMed

 

First I would love to see where you got this information. Next, I will advise that cholesterol is not the only thing that causes these blockages. This is a VERY common error and is one that my heart doc corrected me on back in 2018. This is something I am VERY sensitive about because I was diagnosed with Coronary Artery Disease in 2018, and have had normal cholesterol levels for close to 6 years now. I have been taking atorvastatin now for almost 5 years. To the best of my knowledge, I suffer no complications.

Edited: I have been taking Statins for almost 20 years. I still had a blockage!

 

One report I saw about the French was that they drink a lot of wine, which is actually good for you.

 

I think the oak tannins in my bourbon have the same protective properties as the resveratrol in red wine.

 

I’m glad to provide that study. Google the following: “Most heart attack patient’s’ cholesterol levels did not indicate cardiac risk.” It’s a UCLA Health article. Their solution is to try to drive “normal” cholesterol levels down even further to the 100. How? By shoving even more statins down Americans’ throats.

 

I'm not pro or anti Statin, I refuse to get in that conversation other than to say I take them.. I did find and skim over that article. What I did not see in your reply were the other things I mentioned. Cholesterol is not the only reason for heart blockages that can lead to an M.I. As I stated before I made that error and had a Heart Doc correct me. I am not a medical professional so I am not going to attempt to speak as an authority on this subject. I have heard that a diet that is very high in fat along with things like smoking is just as dangerous as having cholesterol problems. My doctor back in 2018 put me on some medications as well as a low-fat diet. I will say this though. As with the COVID problems, show me 100 medical professionals and you will get 100 opinions. Same with this subject.

 

Last night I sent my Heart Doctor @ Riverside Hospital a message asking about his opinion on this topic. About 30 minutes ago one of the PAs in that office replied. They sent me this link and said this information was what they teach all their heart patients. As you can see from this information bad cholesterol levels are ONLY PART of the problem. Look at the below in regard to the average OTR trucker! When I retired in 2012 I was overweight. My LDLs were marginal. I had high blood pressure, and I consumed way too much fat and sodium! With care, I have reversed most of this today. Still, I have coronary artery disease AND according to my heart doc at the VA was at best two years from having a serious M.I. This is why I don't advise drivers to do a quick fix to be able to get a medical card. In the end, all a driver has is their health. A dead driver can't use their CDL/Medical Card anymore!

Causes
There are several factors that can increase your risk of coronary artery disease or a heart attack.

Cigarette Smoking
Smoking increases your risk of coronary artery disease dramatically. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in the smoke strains the heart by making it work harder, and the chemicals damage the coronary blood vessels even more. Smokers improve their health as soon as they stop smoking. It’s never too late to benefit from quitting.

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
Long-standing high blood pressure that goes untreated can thicken or harden your blood vessels and damage them. Damaged or narrowed blood vessels are more prone to developing blockages from cholesterol.

Blood Cholesterol Levels
There are different types of cholesterol in your blood. There is “bad” cholesterol, (LDL) and “good” cholesterol (HDL). High levels of LDL have been associated with worsening atherosclerosis and therefore, a predisposition to coronary artery disease. HDL is considered “good” because it carries away the “bad” cholesterol.

Age
Unfortunately, normal aging results in coronary arteries that stiffen and narrow. Up to age 85, men are at higher risk of coronary artery disease than women. After age 85, the risk is greater for women.

In older adults, coronary artery disease is often diagnosed later in the course of the disease. This is in part because adults who are not physically active may not notice symptoms until the disease is more advanced. It is also due to the fact that atypical presentations of chest pain (angina) are more common in older adults, therefore early symptoms may go unnoticed for a longer period of time.

Other risk factors

• Family history
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Low levels of physical activity
• Menopause
• High stress levels

 

Well, one thing is for sure: death solves all your problems.

 

Sure as #### hasn’t solved you not being in a truck yet.

 

That was quite a zinger! How do you come up with them?

I’ve got two shoulder surgeries to get through before I do anything. Twenty-five years of installing cabinets had wrecked them both. Two weeks of wielding a sledgehammer overhead back in March was what did them in.

I was still a good physical laborer back in February when I went to Cypress orientation, but I found out that a 12 year old inguinal hernia mesh surgery was supposed to make me an invalid.

Not knowing this, I did a 3rd floor condo kitchen remodel this week, complete with tear-out. Heavy as lead 3/4” textured melamine cabinets. 93” tall cabinets too. God I don’t know how I could manage rolling up a tarp twice a week.