My favorite piece of evidence against the Lipid Hypothesis is what Dr. Ravnskov points out in his book

“The fact that coronary atherosclerosis gets worse just as fast or faster when cholesterol goes DOWN as when it goes up the OPPOSITE of exposure – response should have led scientists to question the whole Lipid Hypothesis – but no one did”

What do you think of that one?

I think it’s a good one, but I still prefer the total volume of evidence rather than a single idea.

Cheers–

MRE 

What would you say the biggest peice of evidence against the Lipid Hypothesis is?

I know it is completely false, but I am curious what peice of evidence you cite most?

Thank You.

Razwell

Hi Razwell–

I wouldn’t rely on a single piece of information just as I never rely on a single study.  The evidence has to be considered in its totality.  But if I had to pick a single thing, it might be a piece of anecdotal evidence: Michael DeBakey, one of the pioneers in heart surgery, has famously stated that in all the thousands (probably more than any other heart surgeon) of patients he’s treated for heart disease, about half had low or normal cholesterol levels.  If high cholesterol truly causes heart disease, one would expect that way more than half the people who have it would have elevated cholesterol.   And one would figure that low cholesterol would be protective, which isn’t the case.

Cheers–

MRE 

He probably looks like Gollum because the poor man isn’t eating enough “artery clogging” saturated fats.

Obviously Marilyn isn’t a ‘savant’ in all subjects. 

Cheers–

MRE 

What he’s doing is no better or worse than what those do who promote statins in the medical journals and at conferences and get paid large amounts of money given to them as research grants.

Hi Chris–

Excess carbs aren’t bad because they convert to palmitic acid, excess carbs are bad because they run up insulin levels, causing insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia.  When we eat carbs the body burns as many as it can, stores as much of the rest as it can as glycogen, then converts the excess to palmitic acid.  I would look at it as a way the body has of converting something bad into something good.

Cheers–

MRE 

I can’t help wondering who the next group of folks that they’ll want to put enmasse on statins will be. You just know that Big Pharma is out there looking for them.

Dr Jarvik is back on the airwaves with yet another ad for Lipator. I don’t know why that guy bugs me so much but he just does. This time around, he’s slicing a banana into a bowl of cold cereal while talking about how diet and exercise were not enough to lower his cholesterol.

As Jarvik ages he reminds me more and more of Gollum from the Lord of the Rings.  Not necessarily the movie version, although that a little, but the version I created in my own imagination as I read the books years ago.

Cheers–

MRE 

Further research revealed that there are several folks out there who say that all diabetics should be on statins. I heard of one study, CARDS, that showed benefit to diabetics from Lipitor of all things. When I looked into the details of the study, they say that they expect 95 out of 1000 diabetics to have a heart attack in 4 years. The study was cut short due to what they considered great results. They estimated that they reduced the incident of heart attack to arout 50 in 1000 with Lipitor. They make it sound impressive that you get a 40-some odd percent reduction in heart attacks. Yet going from a 9.5% chance to a 5% chance in absolute terms doesn’t seem like a big enough deal to justify the side effects. I’ll take my chances without statins.

Hi Dan–

Sounds like you sussed the situation out pretty well.

Cheers–

MRE

Isn’t that rediculous!!! In an office that caters to women! Women, who show no benefit from statins!! This poster was from the AHA, suprisingly, no ads on it at all!

I can understand the docs being nervous….we are in a very lawsuit happy world!!

I’ve read that there are many docs who will talk about a low carb diet only if the patient brings it up first.

And then there is the doc that makes you sign a written statement saying you are refusing treatment….and of course the docs (like mine) that “fires” a patient because they refuse treatment!

Thank God I’m not a doctor any longer. 

From dabbling in NLP, I’ve become very sensitive to statements phrased as questions, negations, subtle reframes, and things of that nature.

Interesting, indeed.  I never notice the font change until you pointed it out.

Cheers–

MRE 

I’m sure that some practice consultant or some article in a throw-away journal has warned him that if he isn’t seen to be doing something proactive about his patients with even minimally elevated cholesterol levels, he could be hammered in a lawsuit should such a patient suffer a heart attack.

He has nightmares about being on the stand and having a plaintiff’s attorney (such as that swine John Edwards) say to him: Doctor, you knew this man had an elevated cholesterol level and yet you did nothing.  Now, he’s disabled, he can’t perform sexually with his wife, his marriage is at risk, he can’t even play golf anymore.  His life is ruined.  And why, Doctor?  Could it be because you were just too busy trying to earn your – let’s see, Doctor, how much was it you told this jury you earned last year? $175,000 wasn’t it?  We’re you just too busy trying to earn your $175,000  to take the time to put this patient on a diet or a drug or do anything to treat his dangerously elevated cholesterol level?

This goes on in courtrooms all over America countless times every single day.  Your doctor can say: I send each patient with elevated cholesterol levels a letter advising a low-fat diet.  By doing so, he basically vaccinates himself against such a lawsuit because everyone ‘knows’ that a low-fat diet is the proper first step in the treatment for elevated cholesterol levels.

Cheers–

MRE