With more and more public discourse about the artificial benefits of cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins), we have had several requests to discuss the issue from a different perspective.

Cholesterol is a precursor to the major steroid and reproductive hormones in the body: cortisol, DHEA, testosterone and estrogen. During times of stress there is a greater demand on the body (the liver) to produce these steroid hormones. Both the release of cholesterol from tissue stores and increased cholesterol synthesis may occur as a response to chronic stress¹. If the stress does not subside, and an individual is eating a diet - consisting mostly of high amounts of animal protein and saturated animal fat, high amounts of refined, processed carbohydrates, and low levels of fiber - cholesterol can reach very unhealthy levels. In this situation cholesterol lowering drugs are not getting to the underlying cause of the problem. They are merely managing or suppressing the symptoms.

Elevated cholesterol is not an end-stage pathology that needs to be suppressed. More accurately, it is often a symptom of a metabolic imbalance. In addition, cholesterol is only damaging to the cardiovascular system when it has been altered by oxidation. Oxidation is an oxygen-centered process that involves destructive molecules called free radicals. Free radical induced oxidation of cholesterol and other biochemicals can lead to a critical process in the blood vessels called atherosclerosis. Attention needs to be paid to the underlying process of cholesterol oxidation, instead of just artificially and haphazardly cutting off the production of cholesterol in the body.

Cholesterol-lowering medications are prescribed to individuals without addressing this underlying oxidation process or without consideration of the stress response. Furthermore, one of the unfortunate adverse effects of these drugs is interruption of the biosynthesis of coenzyme Q10. Therefore, these medications that symptomatically manage elevated cholesterol levels (thereby theoretically decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease) actually inhibit the body's production of one of the most important biochemicals for energy production in the heart - coenzyme Q10.

The reason why people are concerned about cholesterol is because the pharmaceutical industry has done an effective job of convincing its doctors and the general public to "know your cholesterol number." However, consider the fact that more than half of people who die from a heart attack or stroke have low to normal cholesterol levels. People need to be aware that six of the nine expert members of the government panel that drafted the new lipid panel guidelines (lowering LDL cholesterol level) have either received grants or fees from the companies that make some of the most popular statin drugs, including Pfizer (Lipitor®), Bristol-Myers Squibb (Pravachol®), Merck (Mevacor®), and AstraZeneca (Crestor®). Since the new lowered guidelines will dramatically increase the number of people on statins, perhaps there was a conflict of interest.

Statin drugs are very expensive medicines and carry with them considerable risks for side effects. Some of the side effects noted with statins include^2-5:

• Liver problems and elevated liver function tests
• Interference with the manufacture of coenzyme Q10.
• Rhabdomyolysis (muscle pain and weakness), the breaking down of muscle tissue which can prove fatal.
• Polyneuropathy (nerve damage) with chances of nerve damage 26 times higher than the normal population.
• Brain and central nervous system functions (after prolonged use some patients suffered measurable decline in mental function).
• Possible increased risk of cancer and heart failure with long-term use.

That is an alternative view of elevated cholesterol, on Wednesday we will discuss and an alternative solution.

Key References:
1. Bland J. Nutritional Endocrinology. 2002 Seminar Series Syllabus. P 67.
2. Murray M. Natural Living. June 21, 2006.
3. Cardiovascular Disease: American Heart Association Statistics Fact Sheet
4. Kannel. Range of serum cholesterol values in the population developing coronary artery disease. Am J Cardio 1995; 76(9):69C-77C.
5. Castell WP,et al, Lipids and risk of coronary heart disease. The Framingham Study. Ann Epidemiol 1992; 2:23-8.