Yesterday, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released earth shattering new guidelines on who should be taking statins – recommendations which have the very real potential to increase the number of people currently taking the lifelong drugs by 35 million.
Dr. Steven Nissen, chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic described the radical change in approach to heart disease as “an enormous shift in policy as it relates to who should be treated for high levels of cholesterol.”
The bottom line is that the new guidelines abandon total cholesterol above 180 or a single minded focus to reduce LDL (“bad” cholesterol) below 100 as a justification for statins. Instead, risk factors will be used to assess heart disease risk instead of static numbers from a blood test.
The way the risk factors are to be assessed is via the four following questions:
- Do you have heart disease?
- Do you have diabetes (Type 1 or 2)?
- Do you an LDL above 190?
- Is your 10 year risk for heart disease greater than 7.5%?
If you answer “yes” to even one of the questions above, conventional doctors will now push for you to be on statins – most likely permanently.
Dr. Neil Stone, chairman for the committee responsible for the new guidelines, said that LDL will still be important, but no longer the focus:
Our guidelines are not against that. We’re simply saying how you get the LDL low is important. Considering all the possible treatments, we recommend a heart-healthy lifestyle and statin therapy for the best chance of reducing your risk of stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years.
Calculating Heart Disease Risk
How is a 10 year heart disease risk calculated?
According to Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, risk equations for non-Hispanic white men and women and African-American men and women have been developed that factor in age, sex, race, total and HDL (‘good’) cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels, blood pressure treatment status along with diabetes and current smoking status.
An individual’s risk assessment under the new guidelines can be determined using this online calculator.
Experts Insist New Guidelines Are About Saving Lives Not Making Money
Dr. Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic said the new guidelines which focus on a group of risk factors instead of just cholesterol will effectively double the number of people on statins, from 37 million today to 72 million.
Yet, he insists that the pharmaceutical industry has no money to make from the new guidelines. He even went on to say that it may cause a “downturn” in their business!
“Now, except for Crestor, they’re virtually all generic — you can get a three-month supply for $10. So there’s really no money to be made with statins anymore.”
It seems that Dr. Nissen is forgetting a very important point: what an individual pays for a prescription does not represent the total revenue earned by the pharmaceutical industry. Health insurance companies and the government pay and/or subsidize these drugs as well.
Remember the “free” H1N1 flu shots a few years back? “Free” to the consumer does not mean the pharmaceutical industry has donated the medicine out of the goodness of the stockholders’ hearts. Rather, it just means the government forked out millions instead with the consumer indirectly footing the bill.
Even if $10 did accurately represent the total cost for a 3 month supply of statins per person, $10 multiplied by 35 million is $350 million – and that would be earned 4x per year boosting pharmaceutical industry revenue by 1.4 BILLION dollars every single year.
That ain’t chump change my friends!
Risk Factors Still Portray Cholesterol as a Villain of Health
While focusing on risk factors rather than numbers on a piece of paper is a step in the right direction, the overall strategy for assessing cardiovascular risk still inaccurately portrays cholesterol as a villain.
The truth is that people with high cholesterol are not necessarily more likely to have a heart attack. While men who are young or middle aged have a slightly greater risk for heart attack if their total cholesterol level is over 300, for elderly women and men, high cholesterol is associated with a longer life. In addition, cholesterol levels just below 300 carry no greater risk than very low cholesterol levels.
In addition, the science does not indicate that cholesterol-lowering drugs save lives. Statins do not result in any improvement in outcome in recent trials involving thousands of test subjects. Why risk the devastating side effects of statins like cancer, muscle wasting and significant mental decline when they don’t help anyway? (source)
Opting out of the statin madness is still undeniably the best policy even with implementation of these new and “improved” guidelines.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Sources:
Not on cholesterol meds? New guidelines may change that
Fat and Cholesterol are Good for You by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD
Ignore the Awkward: How the Cholesterol Myths are Kept Alive by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD
The Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD
When the doctor wants to put me on a Statin, I ask them if they know and can explain exactly what cholesterol’s role is in your body and if they can answer that, then I ask them why would you want to prevent it’s function for. Your brain functions on cholesterol, your muscles use cholesterol, it is made into the sex hormones testosterone and progesterone. That is why people on stains are forgetful, get muscle problems in their legs and can’t get an erection!
Just fyi for everyone..as I sat listening to a doctor that I worked with, she jokingly stated that she wished she had bought stock in statins, since now they want EVERYONE on them! I have a lot of friends in medical..and I keep waiting for them to follow the money..
Yes, everyone – including children!
What are the studies to support these new guidelines? Since the original “study” by A. Keys was fraud to begin with, what is the proof for the need for statins?
I think the “studies” that guide these recommendations consist of studying the astronomical profits and devising strategies to bloat them even further before the drug patents run out.
Here’s a very interesting view and a nugget of wisdom I just read this AM: “..whereas the treatment of disease stops once the disease clears up, when it comes to managing risk, treatment potentially goes on forever. There is no natural endpoint except death itself. Where medicine once aimed at eliminating disease, now, for a pharmaceutical company, the trick is to persuade as many people as possible that they are at risk of a multitude of “diseases” and to convince doctors that these are all conditions that should be tested for and treated.”
SOURCE: PHARMAGEDDON – David Healy, MD – University of California Press – Berekely
(no relation)
Here’s a better idea than statins. stop consuming industrial vegetable oils, refined carbs, sugar and processed foods and give the body – and heart – what it needs instead: real, whole, nutrient dense foods, including properly sourced traditional fats like butter, coconut oil, lard and tallow. Along with that, learn some ways to add joy to your life and reduce stress. Your heart will thank you.
This is exasperating. Pushing pills that even the commercials tell us show no evidence they do what they claim. I also find it highly suspect that these new guidelines are rolling out just after the Affordable Care Act as if someone at the drug company finally put together that everyone having insurance means more money because they will all have insurance for medication.
Yes, that and I would venture that a new statin or two is waiting in the wings for FDA approval perhaps?
A new statin or a new version of the existing. I found out the hard way they are doing this with pills so they don’t have to give up money to generic versions. I had some significant dental work and not being that good at controlling pain holistically I wanted a few available if needed. They made a “new’ version of vicodin that is nothing more than a slightly lower dose so they could charge 3.50 a tablet
Hello everybody, the medical establishment is composed of bright and intelligent people. However if there ever was a group of people without common sense, the medical establishment if fulllll! of them.
Since I took control of my health I have managed to lose weight and delete all Pharmaceuticals I was taking. I was consuming a lot of pharmaceuticals, BIG Pharma was making money on me. But no more. I control most of my problems with whole foods and supplements. In case you are wondering what I was taking let me say I am a diabetic (insulin user, 5 shots a day), I also suffer from congestive heart failure an asthma. As you can see I was taking enough pills to make a meal; BUT NO MORE.
I feel great, I am not advocating this for anyone else. Do your own research and make up your own mind. One more thing STATINS are not good for diabetics.
To your good health,
Kikoman
We have done the same.
I do have a question, tho. My mother has CHF and takes some supplements but doesn’t believe in diet change. What do you do to help CHF? I would appreciate any answers on this. Thanks.
Hi! CL,
I consulted the people at Life Extension Foundation (LEF) and got a list of supplements
that would help my heart. I also got Sarah’ book on fats. I also subscribe to the Weston
A Price Foundation (WAPF) and got their nutrition suggestions. I eat a high fat, moderate
protein and a very low carbohydrate diet. My cholesterol is fine, my diabetes is under very good control. I also had a pace maker installed when I was in the hospital with CHF. The last visit to the cardiologist, he was very happy with my progress and told me to keep it up and gave me a ton of prescriptions. I thank him very much, walk out of his office and ripped up the prescriptions he had given me. Try giving your mother whole foods, get the Nourishing Traditions book, use it has great recipes. Sarah is great and has very good advice and recipes in her site, use them. Get good fats and use them liberally. I am 67 and use coconut oil, raw milk butter, cheeses made from raw milk,
Tallow, duck fat and save the drippings from bacon. As I said my diet is heavy on fats and I feel great and well nourish. I will check back to see if you have any questions.
To a happy food life,
Kikoman
Kikoman, your comments are terrific and the fact that you have taken control of your own health, on your own terms, is fabulous ! Statins are horrid, horrid devastating drugs. Pity the ignorants who are persuaded to take them… Keep sharing your wisdom and experience …
best of health to you !
You’re right, statins are not good for diabetics. My cholesterol was in normal range for normal Joe, but not for a diabetic. I was put on a statin drug (against my better judgement) as a so called preventative measure. Damaged my heart (which was perfectly fine before hand) and the nerves in my legs and feet. Thank heavens I have a doctor that listens to me and no longer pushes me to use it.
I got off of all my meds as well and now I eat GMO free whole foods and supplements!! I was hypothyroid, had COPD and asthma, plus joint pain. I was on 9 meds!!! I am free of all of it!!!
I too have hypothyroid. Can you direct me to a place to do some research on this? I would LOVE to get off of levothyroxine!
Would you share how you overcame “hypothyroidism” ? New research shows
that gluten sensitivity can contribute to it….
What’s the issue with Statins and diabetics? My father in law is on them and without a very specific reason for him to stop taking them persuading him will be very difficult.
He told me of a conversation with his doctor the other day that went something like this:
FIL: “My wife wants me to change to a generic for drug x. I hear it’s available as a generic now.”
Doctor leaves room in disgust then comes back.
Doctor: “Sorry, I spend more time discussing insurance than I do giving actual medical advice.”
Doctor: “Generics can be anywhere from 80% to 120% of the dose of the brand name drug.”
FIL: “Oh”
Doctor: “Does your wife tell you how to change the oil in your car?”
FIL: “No”
Doctor: “Because it’s not her job right?”
FIL: “Right.”
Doctor: “Well how about she do her job and you let me do mine.”
I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that little exchange about you doing your job and me doing mine in a movie but I can’t remember which one. His comment about generics having very low tolerances must be a common drug company rumor since the FDA has a specific FAQ about that very thing.
Spot on Sarah, It was my uneducated take on this when I heard it yesterday. Thanks for the details to support my intuition.
Well, the calculator is down at the moment, which I was just doing for fun anyway, but this is one of those times where I imagine you could put in “perfect” info and STILL be recommended for treatment. I think our family will just stick with traditional food and healthy living, stay OUT of all doctor’s offices, and enjoy whatever life God gives us:-)
Omg. I will never take these drugs!!!! I think being that they can cause cancer and now they want almost everyone on a statins just proves to me personally anyhow that is society has become more a culture of death rather than life giving.