We have all heard about cholesterol, and we know that the numbers need to be low. But is what we know really the truth?
Let’s first talk about Cholesterol, and why it is important. Cholesterol is a 28 molecule compound that our liver makes. From this molecule, all of our hormones are cleaved. If you look at an image of steroid hormones, you will see that they all stem from cholesterol. Besides being responsible for our hormones, every cell membrane in the human body is made up of cholesterol. In addition to that, the brain needs cholesterol to function. Cholesterol is a pretty big deal in the health of the human body. So why do we want to limit the amount of cholesterol we have?
The truth is that inflammation is the driver of high cholesterol numbers. Excess cholesterol is the body’s way of handling unresolved inflammation. Think of inflammation as a fire, and cholesterol as the fire hose that douses the fire. No one wants a fire, but everyone is glad we have first responders that quench the fire. We should have the same attitude toward cholesterol. We don’t want to have to use it, but if we do, then we have it. Holistically, if we resolve the cause of the inflammation, then the cholesterol will correct itself. Causes of inflammation could be:
- Bacteria,
- fungal patterns,
- parasites, or
- viruses
So why is there a war on cholesterol? One big reason: Money. Most of the reports that tout the benefits of statin drugs were based on clinical trials that were funded by the drug companies. When a meta analysis was done on phase two/phase three trials, 80% of the trials had a financial conflict of interest, and 60% of those trials had more than half the same authors. Very skewed results. The drug companies could select the participants for the trials, and deselect those who had been adversely affected by the prescriptions.
More importantly, ‘peer review’ does not mean that there is integrity in these trials. The ‘reviewers’ do not have access to the raw data of the trials. They only have the data that reinforces the trials’ conclusions. For example, in 2022, when all the clinical trials are considered, the study shows that 70-90% of statin users reported muscle pain. The studies were not designed to look at cognitive degeneration, yet some meta-analysis make a case that statins preserve mental function. Additionally, researchers found that long term use of statins increased the risk for type 2 diabetes.
I can hear you asking, “But isn’t high cholesterol a big contributor to heart disease?” That is what we are told. However the American Heart Association receives millions of dollars from drug companies, food companies, and medical device companies, so they are financially biased to base their recommendations on their biggest donors’ opinions and clinical trials. According to the AHA financial reports for the years 2021-2022, the AHA received $34 million in funding from drug companies. Talk about conflict of interest.
There is so much more information and proof if you want it in this article.
Until next time,
Dr. Polly
