Completely & Utterly OT; Interesting new book

[The Medway Handyman]

The Great Cholesterol Con

Statins are the so-called wonder drugs widely prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels and claim to offer unparalleled protection against heart disease.

Believed to be completely safe and capable of preventing a whole series of other conditions, they are the most profitable drug in the history of medicine.

In this groundbreaking book, GP Malcolm Kendrick exposes the truth behind the hype, revealing: high cholesterol levels don't cause heart disease; a high-fat diet - saturated or otherwise - does not affect blood cholesterol levels; and, the protection provided by statins is so small as to be not worth bothering about for most men and all women.

Statins have many more side affects than has been admitted and their advocates should be treated with scepticism due to their links with the drugs' manufacturers. Kendrick lambastes a powerful pharmaceutical industry and unquestioning medical profession, who, he claims, perpetuate the madcap concepts of 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol and cholesterol levels to convince millions of people to spend billions of pounds on statins, thus creating an atmosphere of stress and anxiety - the real cause of fatal heart disease.

With clarity and wit, "The Great Cholesterol Con" debunks our assumptions on what constitutes a healthy lifestyle and diet. It is the invaluable guide for anyone who thought there was a miracle cure for heart disease, an appeal to common sense and a controversial and fascinating breakthrough that will set dynamite under the whole area.

[Rod]

One of my hobbby horses as well.

I shall concentrate on one aspect.

If someone is hypothyroid when they start taking statins, there are well-documented cases of nasty effects including rhabdomyolysis, myopathy, myositis, bilateral leg compartment syndrome and myonecrosis, and even renal failure (when taken with fibrate).

But I am aware of dozens of people who were offered statins whilst hypothyroid - some known about, others not diagnosed. There does not appear to be much use of thyroid testing of patients prior to starting statins. (And yes, some did indeed commence regular statin-taking. So I am not claiming the side-effects are automatic and universal.) At least some people have had their thyroid problem diagnosed due to suffering the side effects of statins!

The irony, however, is that hypothyroidism is a *cause* of cholesterol problems. Many people, when they get their thyroid hormone levels right, find their cholesterol levels normalise. In such cases it is quite possible that cheap old levothyroxine[1] would cure the high cholesterol

*and all the other symptoms of low thyroid hormone levels*.

I wonder what would happen if all hypothyroid-related[2] issues were fully treated? Would statins ever have been able to make their case?

Some of this is from PubMed and other web sources, some from personal communications and posts on various places.

(Current diagnosed hypothyroidism in England is just over 2%.)

[1] I am aware that even some people who need it have problems just taking cheap old levothyroxine for all sorts of reasons - some known, some not. [2] There are many people with what appear to have reasonably 'normal' thyroid hormone levels who are actually hypothyroid or at least subclinically hypothyroid. This is at least partly due to very questionable setting of the reference ranges the main diagnostic test - TSH. (Until recently the top of the range in the UK was often 10; it has been reduced to around 4.95 in this area. It works opposite way round - high TSH = hypo; low TSH = hyper.) But there are many other reasons - not all of which are understood.

[nightjar]

Apart from some of the media, I don't think anyone has claimed they do. The main concern until very recently has been atherosclerosis. High levels of LDL cholesterol can be shown to increase the risk of atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis can lead to heart disease, angina and strokes. Therefore, high cholesterol levels do increase the risk of heart attacks, but cannot be said to cause them.

A report published last month also shows that statins halve the risk of heart attacks in people with high levels of a protien called CRP, irrespective of their cholesterol levels. Stains also help to keep the artery walls smooth, reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, and to make blood platelets less sticky, reducing the risk of harmful blood clots if it does occur.

High cholesterol levels also may be linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease, although it is too early in the research to decide whether lowwer cholesterol reduces the risk.

Again, this is quiet a complex subject. The evidence is thaat the amount of reduction in cholesterol levels may be more important than the final level. However, with a drop from 4.5 to 2.9, on a fairly moderate dose, I am very happy with the result of taking them myself.

All drugs have side effects, most being very rare, but few include reducing autoimmune disease, reducing transplant rejection, improving bone strength, or reducing the risk of developing diabetes.

Colin Bignell

[dennis]

Sounds like he is just following guide lines then, you give statins to people who are at higher risk not everyone. Like if you have T2 diabetes or high blood pressure with high cholesterol.

[Rob Horton]

No doubt he will be submitting a research paper for proper peer review at reputable medical journal, say, The Lancet?

What's wrong with drugs being profitable? Drug development costs astronomical sums of money. This needs to be paid for from profits made by selling the drugs.

Why are you prepared to believe someone who is profiteering from a scare story about cholesterol / statins by writing a book about it.

I would suggest that you treat him with the same amount of distrust as the pharmaceutical industry.

Don't believe the hype :)

[Andy Burns]

I realise from your .sig that you're trying to "do the right thing" and most (but not all) people will know that thyroid=gland-in-neck and renal=kidney, but if they have to go running to a medical dictionary or wikipedia for all the other terms you might be loosing some audience at the first hurdle.

[Rod]

Agreed - but I thought the post was getting rather long already - without expanding it!!

So - the effect of statins can be *severe* muscle problems. And in the extreme, kidney failure.

[Timothy Murphy]

I saw that the Chief Scientist (I may have the title wrong) in the UK suggested some time (a year or so) ago that there was a strong argument for putting everybody over 50 on statins.

It struck me at the time as surprising advice, because of the cost involved if his advice was actually followed.

[Rod]

1 Yes - I heard that too (but not sure of precise title).

2 Much cheaper if added to the water supply. Which I have also heard suggested. :-)

3 First time I heard an 'investigative' approach (which would almost certainly have been Radio 4 a few years ago), there was a doctor categorically arguing in favour of statins for at least almost everyone over 50. But asked if he would be taking them, said that he would not. To be fair, he did appreciate the hyporcrisy and intellectual questionability of his position(s)!

4 Since when did cost really enter the health equation? I know of people who have had dozens of consultant appointments, investigations, x-rays, MRIs, etc. But as soon as it is established that there is no 'life to be saved', merely 'enhanced quality of life', no-one seems to care enough to even ensure they get proper treatement.

[Man at B&Q]

And read his weekly column in the on-line Grauniad.

is also good

John Brignell's NumberWatch

and his books. MBQ

[jkn]

and also be aware that this source, like all others, has its limitations:

J^n

[Bob Eager]

Or just:

[The Medway Handyman]

Just ordered via Amazon. Cheers

[Lobster]

God, next you'll be telling us that passive smoking doesn't cause lung cancer...

[ducks]

David

[BigWallop]

Passive smoking doesn't cause lung cancer. There, you've been told. Now please. Stop calling me by my first name, in front of everyone. :-) LOL

[The Medway Handyman]

Any more of that & I'll blow smoke at you...