Health Alert 164
Statin drugs to lower cholesterol have become the number one category of drug expense for America’s health insurers. They are also the most profitable drugs in history. That pays for a lot of propaganda. Every month you hear a new report of how more American’s should take more.
They have sponsored studies suggesting that an ever expanding portion of our population should take their drugs for 15 years. This marketing has been extremely effective. More recently they started suggesting that people already taking Statins should take higher doses.
Now they have embarked on a third strategy, creating confusion by suggesting that HDL or “good” cholesterol might not be as important to your health as once thought. I wholeheartedly disagree. HDL is the single most vital factor in determining your risk of heart disease. Moreover, focusing on it should be your highest priority to bring your cholesterol profile into balance.
The recent brouhaha over HDL comes from two studies. Lipitor’s maker, Pfizer, sponsored Dr. Steven Nissen’s study released in November of 2003. The latest study, underwritten by Bristol-Myers Squibb who makes Pravachol, emphasizes how drugs affect cholesterol. These drug-company funded studies assert that HDL levels play no role in the development of heart-damaging plaques.
According to Dr. Nissen, the only thing that matters is LDL, regardless of HDL levels. Not surprisingly, he justifies using massive amounts of cholesterol-lowering statins1. It is in the after-effect of these studies that Pfizer’s Lipitor is expected to become the world’s first $10 billion drug.2
* Keeping It in Balance *
You cannot judge the true importance of HDL by looking at studies with ulterior motives. On the other hand, The Framingham Heart Study is the “gold standard” of data on heart disease. It used a much larger population, tracked them over 40 years and is not beholden to a drug company sponsor. It proves beyond a doubt that high levels of HDL are directly related to lower coronary heart disease (CHD). In fact, it showed that increased HDL can reduce CHD independent of LDL cholesterol. 3
The Framingham Heart Study explicitly shows that lowering LDL levels is irrelevant in those people that have high HDL levels. These graphs taken from the Framingham Study demonstrate the point clearly:
In other words, if your HDL is above 85, you are at no greater risk of heart disease if your total cholesterol is 350 than if it’s 150. High HDL’s trump other cholesterol concerns. So why aren’t you getting this message – You don’t need a drug to boost HDL. The best booster is exercise
* Increasing Your HDL Levels Increases Your Lifespan *
Do you know your lipid profile? If not, ask your doctor to check your cholesterol levels. Be sure to focus on your HDL level. If it is below 35, boosting it is important. Here are some tips for doing it naturally:
• Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Natural sources of vitamin D include milk, eggs, tuna, fish oils and sun exposure. Vitamin D supplements cause a slight alteration in cholesterol molecules that allows your body to better use both.
• Niacin favorably alters both LDL and triglycerides and allows for increases in HDL. Niacin is integral to the production of fats in the human body. Niacin even plays a role in the production of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, the sex hormones. The best source of niacin in foods is in nuts and dried beans. In addition, many meats such as liver, poultry and fish contain niacin.
• Eat a low carbohydrate diet. This lifestyle will help to balance your HDL and reduce your LDL and triglycerides. Remember that dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol are very different. High cholesterol levels and obesity increases the risk of heart disease. However, a low carbohydrate diet that is high in protein and fat will lower weight and blood cholesterol.
• Increased your physical activity. Science has shown that exercise will increase your HDL cholesterol and reduce LDL and triglycerides. I recommend short-duration exercises through my PACE© program. And, resistance training can be an integral part of your fitness program.
• Smoke less, drink more. Smoking cigarettes lowers your HDL cholesterol. Even if you smoke less than a pack a day, many of the ingredients of cigarettes affect your serum cholesterol. On the other hand, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with increased HDL levels4.
The health benefits of increased HDL cholesterol are clear. Remember, improving your health requires dedication more than medication. If everyone followed this method we would save more than the Gross Domestic Product of entire countries on a single category of drugs. And, we would enjoy healthier and longer lives.
Al Sears, MD
1 Kolata, Gina. Scientists Begin to Question Benefit of ‘Good Cholesterol.’ New York Times, March 15, 2004.
2. Reuters 01:26 PM ET 03/15/2004