But what is a good cholesterol level? The body makes cholesterol for a reason - because it needs it, why on earth do we want to lower it to some crazy figure below 4.0 TC for diabetics? We need more cholesterol as we age to help fight inflammation.
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We also know that the plaques that can mount up and block arteries result from cholesterol. The body does not always get the levels of things it needs to produce right! Sometimes the body will produce too much of something and sometimes too little.
bulkbiker
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Hi Doug
Sorry but I have to disagree that we "know" that is the case.. the studies that you were involved in (which I believe the raw data from has never been made public) made that connection but if that is the case then why do a large proportion of those having heart attacks have regular cholesterol levels. From my fairly extensive reading the case for statins seems very unclear and the benefits of artificially lowering a substance the body makes (and is essential for life) for a "possible" benefit seems crazy to me.
The main benefit for statin therapy seems to be the dividends for the drugs companies that make them. I'm afraid I think our doctors and the public have been conned. Time will tell.
Also LDL and HDL are not cholesterol, they're used as representative markers. Cholesterol is essential for a multitude of different physiological processes. The jury is still out on whether cholesterol causes plaques or not, there is evidence that cholesterol is present because there is a clot not because it caused the clot. Look at Malcolm Kendrick's website for his view, as a GP, on the subject, he has devoted 34 blog entries examining the causes of CVD taking into account evidence from medical journals.
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This might help in understanding the role of LDL in plaque formation: http://circres.ahajournals.org/content/114/12/1852
There are lots of things that the body makes that are essential for life and that the body does not always get the quantities right. Sometimes we need to correct the production mechanisms e.g. thyroid, hormone precursors produced by the pituitary gland, parts of blood produced in the bone marrow. If the body always worked properly then, other than accidents, we would have no medical problems.
bulkbiker
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I wasn't necessarily arguing about plaque.. just the part cholesterol is meant to play in it. Small dense LDL particles may well play a part but when was the last time your particle size was measured? Too many assumptions have been made and not enough is understood about cholesterol for, in my opinion, anyone to make definitive statements.
WackyJacky64
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statins are dangerous - my dad just died from Parkinson's and as a family we believe that was brought on by taking statins for many years- he started with numbness in his left side then he had hallucinations falling out of bed memory loss - advanced heart disease 4 heart attacks and eventually lewy body dementia - I firmly believe with all my heart that the statins did this to my dad . It was painful to watch him deteriorate from a big strong man down to a skeleton . Sorry if this scares anyone but I have witnessed first hand the deterioration of my lovely dad .
Please avoid statins they do not lower cholesterol but I was told by an expert and he is a doctor and friend that statins will kill every cell in your body one by one .
Like i said sorry if it scares anyone I don't mean to but what i have said is the truth and there is research out that link parkinsons to statins .
My cholesterol is/was 7.2 in March when diagnosed with type 2 - at that time my dad was dying i had a lot of stress I wasn't eating right I wasn't sleeping as was always at my dads bedside and I firmly believe this was the wrong time to check for diabetes as i was under a lot of stress right then , but I took it as a wake up call to lose weight and get back on track , I've lost over two stone and I am expecting my numbers to be lower . I tried the low carb high fat but couldn't cope with it i was tired all the time and I am full time carer for my mum so can't be tired- I've kept my carbs under 300 a day and check my sugar and each time all my readings are either 6.4 or 7.4 never any higher so will see what my next blood test show .
Sorry for going on lol
Please avoid statins they do not lower cholesterol but I was told by an expert and he is a doctor and friend that statins will kill every cell in your body one by one .
Like i said sorry if it scares anyone I don't mean to but what i have said is the truth and there is research out that link parkinsons to statins .
My cholesterol is/was 7.2 in March when diagnosed with type 2 - at that time my dad was dying i had a lot of stress I wasn't eating right I wasn't sleeping as was always at my dads bedside and I firmly believe this was the wrong time to check for diabetes as i was under a lot of stress right then , but I took it as a wake up call to lose weight and get back on track , I've lost over two stone and I am expecting my numbers to be lower . I tried the low carb high fat but couldn't cope with it i was tired all the time and I am full time carer for my mum so can't be tired- I've kept my carbs under 300 a day and check my sugar and each time all my readings are either 6.4 or 7.4 never any higher so will see what my next blood test show .
Sorry for going on lol
lindisfel
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Bluetit1802
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I automatically assumed covknit was getting younger!
If she is, I hope she shares her secret with us!
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Sorry for the loss of your Father. I was diagnosed with diabetes 20 years ago and on a statin, high BP meds and Metformin from that time. I was also diagnosed with PD about 9 years ago. Both my Father and one of his Sisters also had PD (but neither took statins). There may be a familial link for me. The more full name for PD is idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease as, for most people the cause is unknown. Do you have a reason for believing that statins were responsible for your Father’s PD. I have looked at three published studies and they report a lowering of the risk of PD among those taking statins.
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Freema
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That is really scary and most GP's almost force statin upon us .... as I have read What others tell in here , mine was really angry with me when I declared not willing to take statins.
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you could titrate the statin that is the active constituent in red yeast rice extract. Just because a drug is in its natural state does not mean that it will have no side effects. That is a mistaken belief that people have that natural things cannot hurt you. It is not true. There have been some very small studies of short duration on this supplement/medication based on known quantities of the active statin in them. The actual content in supplements bought from internet sources is not an exact science, sadly.
This will help too. Follow the work of Dr Aseem Malhotra.
http://www.pharmaceutical-journal.c...l-culprit-insulin-resistance/20203046.article
