Statin Nation 29 billion reasons to lie about cholesterol

1 hour 2 minutes
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We are told that cholesterol is a major cause of heart disease. At least 40 million people are currently taking cholesterol-lowering medications, known as statins, and millions more people are avoiding foods that contain saturated fat and cholesterol.

The basic idea is that dietary saturated fat raises cholesterol levels, and these two substances somehow clog-up our arteries, causing a heart attack. This idea is often referred to as the diet-heart hypothesis.

However, a numbers of doctors and researchers have been challenging this hypothesis for decades, and the latest heart disease statistics reveal some alarming facts. Such as:

ΓùÅ People with high cholesterol tend to live longer

ΓùÅ People with heart disease tend to have low levels of cholesterol

ΓùÅ Cholesterol-lowering of a population does not reduce the rate of heart disease

In addition, despite their widespread use, and description as ΓÇ£wonder drugsΓÇ¥ statin medications do not extend life for the majority of people who take them.

Cholesterol-lowering has become a huge global industry, generating at least $29 billion each year. Have the facts about heart disease, cholesterol and cholesterol medications been distorted by pharmaceutical companies and food manufacturers keen to increase their profits?

If the focus on cholesterol has been a mistake, then the greatest cost is associated with the lost opportunity to tackle heart disease.