Let’s discuss cholesterol and the drugs, called statins, used to treat it: Lipitor, Crestor, Pravachol, Mevacor, Zocor etc. What does the research actually tell us?

Unless you already have heart disease, you get no benefit at all from statins if you are a woman of any age or a man over 65, no matter how much your cholesterol lowers. There is a small reduction in heart attacks for middle aged men taking statins, but no reduction in deaths or illness requiring hospitalization.

So what does it mean when Lipitor advertises that it lowers the risk of heart attack by 36% in patients with multiple risk factors for heart disease? First of all, that's about the same risk reduction you get from eating a modest serving of fish each week. But instead of muscle pain, sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairment, diarrhea, and liver disease common with Lipitor and other statins (10-15% suffer side effects), you get the added benefit of less macular degeneration and other eye disease from fish as well as some relief from psoriasis, arthritis, and other auto immune disorders. You can get the same benefits from olive oil, another source of OMEGA-3 fatty acids, plus a reduced risk of some cancers.

Now let's read the fine print in the Lipitor ad. In a large clinical study (which lasted 3 1/3 years), three out 100 patients taking a sugar pill (placebo) had a heart attack compared to two out of 100 taking Liptor! Two is about 36% lower than three. That's how Pfizer gets their numbers!

This brings up a statistic your doctor may be unaware of and the drug companies certainly don't want you to know. It's called the number needed to treat (NNT). In Pfizer's study of their product Lipitor, the NNT was 100. For every 100 people taking it for 3 1/3 years, one heart attack was prevented. The other 99 got no benefit. Sure, statins lower cholesterol. But many researchers doubt the need to lower cholesterol to the levels commonly accepted as healthy, and there are many natural ways to lower it without side effects.

In contrast, the only large clinical trial funded by the government instead of drug companies found no statistical benefits at all! According to Dr. Norton Hadler, professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina, "An NNT over 50 is worse than a lottery ticket, there may be no winners." Several recent scientific papers have the NNT for statins at 250 and up for lower risk patients taking the drugs for five years or more. Compare this to the antibiotics used to treat ulcer causing H. pylori stomach bacteria. With a NNT of 1.1, 10 of 11 given the drug are cured.

The doctors I study with agree, an LDL ("bad cholesterol") level of under 170 is healthy. Compare this with the "normal" LDL range followed by some labs and doctors of 0-100. Trust me, if your LDL is below 40, you’re probably dead or on your way. Even "bad cholesterol" at proper levels is necessary for good health. Of course, lower numbers sell more drugs. Total cholesterol levels are misleading and are not useful in predicting risk of heart disease or stroke, but if you need a number, most doctors that read the research put the healthy level between 170-270. HDL ("good cholesterol") levels are important and should be above 35 for men and 40 for women. What about diabetics needing lower cholesterol levels than non- diabetics? So far, there is no research to support this.

In 2004, a national committee called for lower targets for LDL ("bad cholesterol"). Eight out of nine experts on the panel had financial ties to the drug industry. In response, 34 other experts sent a petition of protest to the National Institute of Health claiming evidence didn't support the new guidelines.

Incidently, Zetia, a non-statin which blocks cholesterol absorption in the intestines, has no health benefits and actually thickens arteries more according to recent research. If your doctors are unaware of the information in this article, please bring them up to speed. Your health may depend on it!