As you know, cholesterol has been demonized over the past several decades. It’s been unfairly blamed for most cases of heart disease. Yet, according to a major study, 50% of the people who suffered a heart attack had normal cholesterol levels. Nevertheless, the mainstream dogma is “the lower the cholesterol, the better.”

In the last couple decades, cardiologists have been pressuring the public to drastically lower their cholesterol levels, down from what was previously considered an acceptable level. Not that long ago, an LDL of 130 mg/dl was considered acceptable. Now the recommended level is less than 100 mg/dl. The cardiologists have been heavily influenced by research backed by statin-producing pharmaceutical companies

Statins are drugs that decrease the production of cholesterol in the liver by inhibiting an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase. Statins also block other important bio-chemical pathways, including the pathway for production of the enzyme CoQ 10, also known as ubiquinol, an enzyme vital for generating energy in the cells, including cells in the heart. This enzyme also functions as a powerful antioxidant. So, by inhibiting energy production in the heart cells, statins interfere with the health of the heart—in spite of the low cholesterol numbers. Many doctors who prescribe statins fail to inform their patients of the crucial need to supplement with CoQ 10.

Statins also inhibit the synthesis of vitamin K, essential for removing calcium from the arteries and thereby reducing the risk of plaque formation. As a result, statins have the potential of actually increasing the risk of heart disease by increasing the possibility of plaque formation with the inhibition of vitamin K.

Drastically lowering one’s cholesterol levels can have some serious health consequences beyond the heart that you don’t hear too much about in the media, including increased risk of mental illness, depression, suicide and dementia. Adequate levels of cholesterol are essential for normal brain function.

Statins’ many side effects include severe muscle pain and weakness, cognitive impairment, diabetes, increased risk of cancer, and cataracts.

Let me introduce you to Louise, a 65-year-old woman who came to my clinic about 20 years ago because of her extremely high level of cholesterol (385 mg/dl). Such high levels are often related to a familial genetic predisposition. Louise had been prescribed a statin drug by the cardiologist but could not tolerate the side effects, The side effects included severe muscle pain and weakness, pain and inflammation in her liver, and slightly elevated liver enzymes. Her cardiologist told her she needed to stay on the statin anyway or else she would die of a stroke or heart attack in the near future.

Louise reluctantly discontinued the statin due to the side effects, then made an appointment to see me for advice. She was frightened and believed her death was imminent. She had already made major lifestyle changes but the elevated cholesterol persisted, as is the case with genetically determined high cholesterol.

I knew that cholesterol in itself does not cause heart disease; it’s the oxidation of the cholesterol coupled with inflammation throughout the body that promotes cholesterol deposits in the blood vessels. So, to mitigate the potential harm of the high levels of cholesterol, I recommended Louise follow an anti-inflammatory diet that included high anti-oxidant foods, like berries, beans, unroasted nuts, spices and dark green leafy veggies. The diet she has followed for the past twenty years is heavy on the vegetables and plant-based fats, like avocados, nuts, and seeds, and coconut oil. She has eliminated all sugars and all grains, most dairy products except for occasional helpings of organic yogurt and kefir, all fruit juices, processed foods, and alcohol. She avoids fried foods. She eats 2-3 oz of 100% grass-fed meat about twice a week. The seafood she eats is limited to Alaska fish only. She takes anti-oxidant supplements along with anti-inflammatory items like fish oils, ginger, boswellia, and curcumin derived from turmeric. And she takes vitamin K to help remove plaque from her arteries.

Louise says she’s never felt better in her life. Her cholesterol numbers remain the same, but on ultra-sound there is no evidence of progression of the atherosclerosis she had when she first came to me twenty years ago. She has defied all the dire predictions that she’d be six feet underground long ago.

Stay tuned for Part III of The Cholesterol Controversy and learn how to decipher the lipid panel.

Here’s to your good health.