[big'ol_freeper]

Ping

[BreezyDog]

Isn’t that why I take CO Q10 with my Zocor? The CO Q10 aids in muscle repair caused by the statins damage.

[Jeff Chandler]

Oh, crap.

[Gorzaloon]

Merck is not going to like this.

"A former Pfizer exec accused the drugmaker of illegally boosting Lipitor sales through an elaborate campaign of misleading educational programs for docs, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Jesse Polansky, claims that the educational campaign was a key part of a marketing strategy that “led thousands of physicians to prescribe Lipitor for millions of patients who did not need medication” and could be harmed by overly aggressive treatment.

His lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York in February 2004, but was sealed while prosecutors decided whether to join the case."

This whole issue has taken a long time to start unravelling, but its a start.

[Names Ash Housewares]

Billions spent on all these studies for decades and everything always comes down to.......

All things in moderation, get regular excercise.

Shocker.

I am in the wrong line of work.

[Ancesthntr]

OK, so if your cholesterol is sky-high you’ll look like Arnold Schwarteneggar when they put you in the box because you dropped dead of a heart attack.

Seriously, cardiovascular health is very complex. One can have high, normal or low overall cholesterol and be either healthy or unhealthy-because other factors come into play:

HDL/LDL ratio

Whether your LDLs are oxidized (which has a lot to do with how much in the way of anti-oxydants you consume, esp. with high-fat meals)

Arterial health

Triglycerides level

Overall level of inflammation

Hereditary factors

Level of Coenzyme Q10 (which is depleted naturally as one ages, and which is dramatically depleted when consuming statin drugs to lower cholesterol - so you have clear arteries and die of congestive heart failure).

These things only touch the surface.

I am NOT a doctor or in the health field. I get most of my information regarding health and nutrition from Life Extension Foundation (I’m only a member, and don’t profit in any way from attracting new members, selling the products, working there, etc., nor does anyone in my family). Their website is: http://www.lef.org/

[JOE6PAK]

I give up.

[GovernmentShrinker]

They’re surprised??? Cholesterol is THE starting material for all steroid hormones. For those unfamiliar with the process, go to this link http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/basics/steroidogenesis.html and scroll down about 2/3rds of the way to see the “map” of the most important 16 of many hormones built from cholesterol.

[mtbopfuyn]

Good to know that I didn’t kill myself with the bacon and eggs this morning, yesterday morning, and again tomorrow morning. I can’t wait until they admit Oreos are the new miracle food.

[Petronski]

Since the body actually MAKES cholesterol, why should I be surprised that it is beneficial?

[kalee]

ping

[mtrott]

Yes, as a representative that sold a statin drug for years, I am quite aware of the negative effects of statins on CoQ10 levels. There is a doctor in my town who is published in medical journals on the topic of these reductions on CoQ10 levels and has insisted ever since this effect was discovered that any of his patients on statins take CoQ10 tablets.

BTW, most statins are fat soluble drugs, which means they can cross the blood/brain barrier and exert their effect in the brain. This MAY have positive effects in prevention of Alzheimers, but as previously posted, cholesterol is necessary for cell wall integrity. Many doctors feel you can’t get LDL too low, but I fear that, particularly in elderly patients, cholesterol levels are being driven too low. While very low cholesterol levels may reduce the risk of thrombotic stroke, by weakening the cell wall integrity, the risk of hemmorrhagic stroke may increased.

Interestingly, I was recently prescribed a statin myself. I asked for and received the one that is water soluble and is known for having possibly the least side effects. But after I took it for some time, it seemed like my darn knees were getting weak when I would try to stand from a sitting postion. And I take CoQ10 most every day. I plan to soon start taking it again for a period of time and see if I get the same effect in my knees.

[Cacique]

btt

[pbmaltzman]

There have been people all along who questioned the cholesterol "theory" (fad, really) of heart disease.

I just stocked up my fridge/freezer on butter, eggs, and some little pork sausages. I also eat seafood when I can afford it. I also eat some of the skin on my chicken and turkey. Next time London Broil is on sale, I will stock up on that too. Yeah, we eat veggies here too... dressed in butter.

Every time I type up a report for a heart patient who is then told to go home and eat the standard "heart healthy" diet and take his statin drugs, I cringe. There is a lot out there regarding how misguided this approach really is... but doctors have mostly bought into this hook, line, and sinker.

There's also a book out there called "Lipitor: Thief of Memory." Turns out that our brains are made of fat, and we need good-quality fat to keep it running in good condition. Memory loss would be a hellacious side effect even if statins really did what they are claimed to do.

[CDHart]

I've been saying for a long time that at some point, they would say cholesterol is good for you. Just like salt causes high blood pressure, then suddenly it doesn't.

Carolyn

[dfwgator]

High cholesterol foods tend to also be high in protein, so that probably explains the higher muscle gain.