Your Cholesterol Medicine Many be Your Death Sentence!

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http://cat007.com/cholkill.htm Your Cholesterol Medicine Many be Your Death Sentence! In 1987, Merck made headlines when it came out with Mevacor (lovastatin), the first cholesterol-lowering statin drug. Statins block enzyme pathways involved in the production of cholesterol, thereby lowering cholesterol levels. But that's not all these drugs do. The same enzymes that are involved in the production of cholesterol are also required for the production of an essential compound called coenzyme Q10; not surprisingly, lower cholesterol levels in statin users are accompanied by reduced levels of CoQ10. Coenzyme Q10 -- also called ubiquinone, which means "occurring everywhere" -- plays an important role in the manufacture of ATP, the fuel that runs cellular processes. Though it is present in every cell in your body, it is especially concentrated in the very active cells of your heart. Depriving the heart of CoQ10 is like removing a spark plug from your engine -- it just won't work. Low levels of CoQ10 are implicated in virtually all cardiovascular diseases, including angina, hypertension, cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. What is Merck Waiting For? Merck knew that statins deplete CoQ10, and knew that this could contribute to heart disease. In 1990, this drug manufacturer sought and received a patent for Mevacor and other statin drugs formulated with up to 1,000 mg of coenzyme Q10 to prevent or alleviate cardiomyopathy, a serious condition that can cause congestive heart failure. However, Merck has not brought these combination products to market, nor has this drug company educated physicians on the important of supplementing CoQ10 to offset the dangers of these drugs to the heart. Because they hold the patent, other drug companies are prevented from coming out with a statin/CoQ10 product. If you're taking a statin drug (Zocor, Provacol, etc.), don't wait for your doctor to warn you of the substantial risks. Consider this fact: in the last 15 years (roughly the time that statins have been on the market), the incidence of congestive heart failure has tripled. If you want to avoid becoming a statistic, it is imperative that you take 200 mg of coenzyme Q10 daily. You should also try to lower your cholesterol levels with a low-fat diet, targeted nutritional supplements and exercise. The "Niacin Flush" on our web pages is working wonders for many. This may reduce or eliminate your reliance on cholesterol-lowering medication. A wholesale Source for CoQ-10 End of messages Very High Cholesterol May Not Be As Bad As We Think Very High Cholesterol May Not Be As Previously Thought Even though familial hypercholesterolemia--a genetic condition that causes very high cholesterol levels--has been linked to the early onset of heart disease, the risk of early death may vary significantly among people with the disorder. Moreover, researchers speculate, the findings suggest that other factors such as diet and exercise help determine the overall death risk of people with the genetic condition. In a study of an extended family affected by familial hypercholesterolemia, investigators found that, over two centuries, about 40% of family members lived normal life spans. During the 1800s, members of the family tended to live longer than average for the time, but the rate of early death began to rise in 1915, reaching a peak in the 1950s, according to the authors. Since then, the life expectancy of the family members has been increasing. But the investigators found that death rates varied considerably from branch to branch of the family tree. During the decades when the family as a whole had shorter-than-average life spans, some branches of the family had normal life spans and others had extremely high rates of premature death. The wide variations in risk suggest that environmental factors, such as diet, smoking and physical activity may interact with genetics to affect the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. It is possible that high levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol might have protected 19th century family members from infections common at the time, while the lack of other heart disease risk factors, such as widespread cigarette smoking or fatty diets, might have reduced their risk of death. Since death rates varied from branch to branch of the family tree, other genetic factors might have affected the risk as well. Variations in social class and in where different branches lived may also have had an effect. Whatever the reasons for the variations, the study shows that even though genes are important in determining life expectancy, environmental factors also play a major role. British Medical Journal April 28, 2001;322:1019-1023 DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT: About one in 500 people have a genetic defect in which they have elevated cholesterol levels of 350 or even higher. This level seems to be resistant to every type of dietary modification. Yes, even the no grain, no sugar approach. I have only treated about 5 or 6 of these individuals. They are very uncommon. Which means that about 99% or more of the people that are currently on drugs to lower their cholesterol do not need it, as they will respond very well to the no grain no sugar approach. This approach will usually work in several weeks for most people, especially if they apply a good exercise program. Eating eggs will NOT raise one's cholesterol. This is an important study in that it shows that just because one's cholesterol is elevated, even as high as 350, it does NOT mean that one will die of heart disease. How can this be? My take on it is that not all cholesterol is bad. Now, I am not just talking about HDL and LDL, but the key factor here is OXIDIZED cholesterol. It is my understanding that the lining of the blood vessels have no receptors for normal cholesterol, only oxidized cholesterol. What is oxidized cholesterol? That is cholesterol that has been damaged by oxygen. This usually occurs under stress conditions in which one's internal antioxidant mechanisms are compromised. So, if one follows an optimal food choice program, then the levels of oxidized cholesterol will be lower, even if the total cholesterol is in very high ranges. Stress also can play a huge role in cholesterol oxidation, as can lack of sleep and too little or too much exercise. So the issue of whether or not to treat cholesterol is much more complex than it appears to be. It is certainly not as simple as putting everyone with an elevated cholesterol on medication. I believe this is a major piece of research in that it fully emphasized the critical nature of lifestyle and NOT genetics on the influence of chronic disease (in this case heart disease, the number one killer in the US). That is why it is important to check for other risk factors like homocysteine, ferritin, and Lp(a) (see below). It is interesting to note though that the researchers and journal editors conclude that since they can not identify which factors are responsible, they advise ALL of these individuals be treated with cholesterol-lowering drugs. Related Articles: Five Blood Risk Factors For Coronary Heart Disease Lipoprotein(a) Increases Heart Disease Risk Recent Literature Support For LP(a) Importance and Reduction How To Reduce Your LP(a) and Decrease Your Risk of Heart Disease If you find this newsletter interesting and valuable, help support it by recommending it to some friends by using this button. Return to Table of Contents #217 End of messages