Comments on: Cholesterol and cognitive decline

By: Esther

Esther — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 22:25:26 +0000

Hi Dr Mike,

Thanks for the comments on hubby’s numbers and I really do appreciate that you took the time to do so. For the record, I don’t put any stock in cholesterol numbers myself, but sometimes I have to fight fire with fire. Hubby’s numbers actually used to be higher and several years ago his PCP did put him on a statin. His then GI was very upset about that when he found out and immediately took him off of them. If I remember correctly, the GI wasn’t all that sold on the cholesterol/heart disease link, himself. Unfortunately, hubby’s current GI and PCP are both sold on it and it’s a constant battle every time they run his numbers. They are both part of the CU School of Medicine and are, of course, passing it right along to all those med students.

Good luck in dealing with a tricky situation.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Hellistile

Hellistile — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:59:15 +0000

Dr Mike:
While we are discussing statins, here is another link to another asinine article about the benefits of statins taken from the CBC.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/10/12/statins-lung.html

Statins slow lung decline in smokers, elderly: study

Pushing statins. Sales must be down.

I don’t think sales are down; I just think they want the entire population on them.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Matthew Lake

Matthew Lake — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:34:54 +0000

None of my posts are getting through, but I thought you might be interested in this article. Fasting and calorie restriction up regulates SIRT1. SIRT1 is being found to be a factor in lifespan and disease such as insulin resistance, cancer, and heart disease. You think low cholesterol apparently means higher risk of death, whereas it’s actually falling cholesterol due to a disease.

This new study links the longevity gene SIRT1 to lower cholesterol. As I said, since going on CR my total cholesterol is now 109mg/dl and Tryglycerides between 35 – 53 mg/dl

Long-Life Gene Might Help Lower Cholesterol
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2007/10/11/hscout609058.html

I enjoy your posts, but on this I think you’re dead wrong. However I agree statins are not the solution. A healthy diet is the solution.

Hi Matthew–

Your posts are getting through. I’ve just been traveling and answering a few comments here and there as I can get to them.

I said it before, but I’ll say it again. I posted about data from a study. Data is data. And in this case the data show that elderly people with higher cholesterol levels perform better on tests measuring cognitive function. In the discussion section of the paper the authors considered the possibility that the lowered cholesterol in some subjects could have been the result of poor nutrition and frailty, but they said that that was a possibility, not the actual cause.

You can argue with this data all you want, but it is still the data. You and anyone else who cares to can draw your own conclusions about what these data mean. Since the brain contains 25% of the cholesterol in the body (more than any other structure) that indicates to me that cholesterol is important for the brain to work properly. In view of that it makes sense to me that a lowered cholesterol would hamper cognitive function, which is exactly what this study showed.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Neil Wilkinson

Neil Wilkinson — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:28:39 +0000

the study (WOSCOPS) wasn’t exactly a raging success originally, according to the figures in Uffe Ravnskov’s book

That is correct.

By: Wil B.

Wil B. — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:06:43 +0000

Suggest you also make sure to read the comments generated by the UK Times article. Looks to me like the majority of commenters talk about adverse experiences with statins and actually debunk the article. Dominoes finally starting to fall….or at least go teeter / totter?

Hi Wil–

I love it when that happens.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Goi

Goi — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:54:49 +0000

What are your thoughts on the paper that was quoted in the nytimes review of taube’s book, about a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. I know it’s not, but they seem to mention a study that shows that it is. I haven’t read that study(would like to), but it’s gotta be wrong somehow right?

I plan to post on it in the very near future. Even if it were right, which it isn’t, it would only be one study among many showing the opposite.

Cheers–

MRE

By: David Futoma

David Futoma — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:32:20 +0000

Thank You Dr. Eades for putting me onto the Malcolm Kendrick book. Arrived yesterday from Amazon and I’m half done already. What a stitch!

“When the liver makes fats, it makes saturated fats, and saturated fats alone. My God, do our own livers not know how unhealthy this is?” “Anything above 4 mmol/l and you will be statinated. Resistance is useless.”

He is such a good read, but in the process I am learning boatloads about the whole subject. One question: As a practicing prep school chemistry teacher, I accept what he is writing, but there are precious few references (which compared to the Taubes’ book is a good thing). From what you’ve read, is his science essentially correct (allowing for the simplifications required to make it readable?) I fully expect that he will be savaged in the reviews by other “so-called” experts.

I ordered 3 more copies to pass out as birthday presents, and my wife and teenage children want to read it as well (as they should)!

Thanks again,

Dave Futoma

Hi David–

The lack of references is one of the negatives I pointed out about this book when I first reviewed it. But, like with the title, the publishers often make the call on whether references make it into the book or not. In both PP and the PPLP the publishers made us leave the bibliography and references out because the material ran too long.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Seth’s blog » Blog Archive » Why We Need Enough Cholesterol

Seth’s blog » Blog Archive » Why We Need Enough Cholesterol — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:36:48 +0000

[...] excellent post from Michael Eades discusses a new study that found elderly people with lower cholesterol had [...]

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:51:44 +0000

I was under the impression that Low Carb eating reduced some kinds of cholesterol.

Is it reducing the ones that could help cognitively?

Hi Dan–

Eating low-carb typically reduces elevated cholesterol, but doesn’t lower it too much. Nor does it lower an already low cholesterol level.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 09:06:42 +0000

It is a shame that people even need to take statins because lower cholesterol can be achieved with a healthy diet. Some of the comments here stated that cholesterol lowering does no good and that high cholesterol results in longevity… however this is not the case. There is absolutely NO EVIDENCE whatsoever that increasing someones cholesterol while it’s declining with age or not, will extend longevity. This is complete nonsense. For those that need statins please do what your doctor says and take them.

Are you quite certain there is “absolutely NO EVIDENCE whatsoever” that increasing cholesterol doesn’t bring about benefit? I wouldn’t be quite so dogmatic if I were you. And unless you are a physician taking care of specific patients I wouldn’t be advising people on statins one way or the other.

Cheers–

MRE