| In human studies of Chinese Red Yeast Rice, our laboratory has found that eight monacolin analogs of monacolin K, or mevinolin, are metabolized differently than crystallized purified mevinolin, which is identical to the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin. Moreover, the red pigments in the yeast have biological activity when the monacolins are removed.
Today, the overall intake of natural foods and herbs has declined with the era of industrialization, which has filled our diets with what I call modern "white and beige" processed foods. |
Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C. with Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
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 In fact, millions of people in this country are on cholesterol-lowering drugs, but frankly, I don't think they need it.
A look at my youth and medical training will help you to understand how I arrived at my conclusions about sugar's role in heart disease and other illnesses.
My Awareness of Sugar's Dangers and Diabetes Began in Childhood
As a young child, I first began to witness the dangers of too much sugar and wide blood sugar fluctuations. |
Elaine Magee
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 Given that fish oil has been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, while olive oil has demonstrated cholesterol-lowering effects, some researchers have tested the two together to determine if any synergy exists. While some trials have shown no effect, others have had favorable results with lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, so the outlook is positive. More research is needed, but meanwhile, consider the following preliminary observations. |
Andreas Moritz
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 Since cholesterol-lowering drugs have not been shown to lower the risk of heart attack, they were notably absent in the study's list of recommendations, much to the annoyance of the major statin producers.
INTERHEART isn't the only large study that discovered the significance of the apo ratio. During a Swedish study, researchers tracked more than 175,000 men and women for about five and a half years. The average age of the subjects was 48. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 This study is noteworthy in that a comparatively small amount of niacin produced a beneficial effect when combined with a prescription cholesterol-lowering drug. The change in HDL, though small, may have a dramatic effect on heart disease incidence. One study found that a 6 percent increase in HDL led to a 22 percent reduction in the incidence of fatal and nonfatal heart attacks.
Which Types of Niacin Are Best?
You may have heard the names of different forms of niacin, and keeping them straight is like taking chemistry all over again, but this time with fewer brain cells. |
Bill Sardi
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 Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther 287: 96-108, 1987; Surgery 91:631-7, 1982]
A deficiency of CoQIO has been described in aging and cancer and when statin cholesterol-lowering drugs are employed. [J Am Coll Nutr 20: 591-98, 2001]
For example, CoQIO levels in tissue of breast cancer patients are significantly decreased compared to surrounding tissues. [Clinical Biochemistry 33: 279-84, 2000] Breast cancer patients are more likely to exhibit low CoQl 0 levels than are healthy people. |
| Mol Aspects Med 15: 231-40S, 1994]
Statin cholesterol-lowering drugs are known to deplete the body of CoQl 0. Thus, it would be of interest to investigate whether cancer rates are higher among statin drug users. Surprisingly, some studies champion statin drugs as novel anti-cancer agents. [Clin Cancer Res 7:2067-75, 2001] Over a five-year period, one study did not confirm any association between statin drugs and the risk of cancer. [American Journal Medicine 15;110: 716-23, 2001] But other disturbing studies do confirm a relationship between statin drug use and breast and prostate cancer. |
| Menopause 8: 259-65, 2001]
However, in another study, an 86-mg extract of red clover was not found to exhibit cholesterol-lowering properties. [British Journal Nutrition 89: 467-74, 2003] But while red clover may or may not alter cholesterol profiles, it appears to improve the elasticity of large arteries and prevent high blood pressure. [J Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism 84: 895-98, 1999]
Molecules called coumarins in red clover raise concerns over blood clotting effects. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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 The panthene form of pantothenic acid is a cholesterol-lowering drug used only under expert supervision.
Vitamin B6—Pyridoxine, the Protein Burner
Vitamin B6 was discovered in the 1930s. Vitamin B6 occurs in several forms, all of which can be converted to the most active coenzyme form, Pyridoxal Phosphate (PLP). PLP has a vital role in catalyzing dozens of chemical reactions in the body.
Vitamin B6 is unusual as a B vitamin in that it is so extensively stored in muscle tissue. Glucose is stored as glycogen in muscle tissue to provide energy on-site and when it is first needed. |
Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C. with Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
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| The newer cholesterol-lowering drugs (i.e., statins) not only lower cholesterol but also lower inflammatory mediators in the body.
And since we know that chronic relentless inflammation causes arteries to be on fire, controlling cholesterol by either lowering oxidized LDL or raising HDL will be advantageous. I still recommend statins as part of my plaque reversal plan in patients with documented coronary artery disease.
My grievance is when we aggressively treat high cholesterol numbers and not patients, and when we overprescribe these drugs for healthy people, especially women. |
Andreas Moritz
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| Yet, high LDL is the very condition for which cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are prescribed. The whole focus has been on getting the cholesterol down and keeping it low. When doing this with drugs, trouble can be expected. Thus, due to the numerous harmful side effects of statin drugs, millions of unsuspecting healthy people have already been turned into real patients with real (drug-caused) diseases. They have never been told that elevated cholesterol poses no major risk to their heart. Certainly, no patient I know has heard from his doctor about the apo ratio. |
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.
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 Before long, my blood cholesterol was 119 mg/dL—without the use of any cholesterol-lowering medication. This was especially reassuring, since my late father, who had his first heart attack at age forty-three, had a total cholesterol as high as 300 mg/dL.
I was convinced that I could help others achieve similar results, and that the effects on their health would be nothing short of dramatic.
3
Seeking the Cure
In 1985, William Sheldon, chief of the Department of Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, graciously granted my request to attend a departmental meeting. |
Andreas Moritz
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| A real problem arises when we lower cholesterol by bypassing or disturbing this life-essential mechanism. The cholesterol-lowering statin drugs do just that. If your body has reasons to increase cholesterol levels in your blood, it is for your protection only. Artificially lowering blood cholesterol with synthetic drugs removes that protection and can generate an entire host of health problems, starting with disrupting the production of adrenal hormones. |
| Fat-free chips, diet-friendly crisps, and cholesterol-lowering tortillas can now be staples in the otherwise fatty American diet. It seems wonderful to be able to have all these "naughty" foods and not become fat or risk heart disease. The only problem with this non-physiological food is its side effects.
The pseudo-fat can actually cause substantial anal leakage and diarrhea. It is as indigestible as plastic, which means it comes out completely unaltered. |
| Since 1992, researchers have noted increases in suicides among those undertaking cholesterol-lowering treatment or dietary regimes. By lowering blood cholesterol you also reduce serotonin receptors leading to increased micro viscosity and affecting the balance of cerebral lipid metabolism. This is believed to have profound effects on brain function. Data from mental institutions have revealed that aggressive people and those with antisocial personalities have lower blood cholesterol levels than average. |
David W. Grotto, RD, LDN
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 Heat-epimerized tea catechins have the same cholesterol-lowering activity as green tea catechins in cholesterol-fed rats. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2005;69(12):2455-2458.
Nagao T, Komine Y, Soga S, Meguro S, Hase T, Tanaka Y, Tokimitsu I. Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81:122-129.
Yang YC, Lu FH, Wu IS, et al. The protective effect of habitual tea consumption on hypertension. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164(14)!l534-1540.
Teff www.ethnomed.org/cultures/ethiop/teff.html
Mengesha B, Ergete W. |
Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN
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 In the end, meticulously evidenced concerns were dismissed in favor of weak evidence that soy protein might lower cholesterol and in support of the widely held—but still unproven—theory that cholesterol-lowering is the key to preventing heart disease.
Although Congress mandated that the FDA obtain "sufficient scientific evidence" of cholesterol-lowering properties before approving any health claim to that effect, it relied almost entirely on just one study—a 1995 meta-analysis by James W. Anderson, Ph.D. |
David W. Grotto, RD, LDN
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| Firefighter's Honey Muesli by Dave Grotto Servings: 1 • Prep time: 5 minutes
This recipe was created as part of a cholesterol-lowering program for Chicago firefighters. It's quick, simple, and tasty—perfect fuel for putting out whatever kind of "fire" you're fighting! This recipe contains four powerhouse foods. |
Andreas Moritz
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| The problem with the new statin drugs is that they don't cause immediate side effects like the older cholesterol-lowering drugs did. The old cholesterol-reducing drugs prevented its absorption from the gut, which led to nausea, indigestion and constipation. But their success rate was minimal and patient compliance was very low. The new statin drugs became an overnight success story because they were able to lower cholesterol levels by 50 points or more with no immediately known major side effects. |
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.
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 They also point out that a meta-analysis (a composition of many studies) indicated cholesterol-lowering drugs may increase mortality rates caused by other conditions. A review of the available research indicated that all cholesterol-lowering drugs cause cancer in rodents, and that the dose of the drug used in test animals was comparable to that used in humans. This important information is conveniently omitted from the Physicians' Desk Reference (published by Medical Economics Company), which your doctor uses to determine drug risk. |
Bottom Line Health
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| In a study, intensive cholesterol-lowering therapy using rosuvastatin (Crestor)—a powerful (and controversial) member of the statin family of drugs—not only reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels but actually reversed atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries.
THE STUDY
For the trial, 507 patients at 53 health-care centers in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia were given 40 milligrams (mg) of Crestor daily.
Plaque build-up was measured at the beginning of the study and two years later using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). |
Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C. with Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
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| Tragically, despite the studies showing the downside of cholesterol-lowering drugs, the medical community, including cardiologists nationwide, have concentrated on the alleged wonders of lowering cholesterol and continue to ignore the relationship between high blood sugar, insulin surges, and heart disease.
Excess Insulin Hurts Your Heart
Today, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. But did you know that 60 percent or more of those people with type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance develop some form of heart disease? |
| Drug representatives often come to doctors' offices with briefcases full of samples of cholesterol-lowering medications. These drug reps are there to talk about how the meds work, and they're armed with all kinds of literature—periodicals and copies of research studies—that "prove" the meds work.
Of course, these drug reps aren't talking about studies that show the relationship between excess sugar consumption and heart disease, despite the fact that so much information is out there. As you'll soon learn in SUGAR SHOCK!, we seek to fill in these many, many educational gaps. |
Jack Challem
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 Oral contraceptives, analgesics, and cholesterol-lowering drugs also hinder a variety of normal biochemical processes that impact both the brain and the body. All of these drugs further compromise our neuronutrients. Side effects are often a result of how certain drugs prevent nutrients from working normally. |
| You can get the cholesterol-lowering effect of niacin (not niacinamide) by taking 1,000 mg daily.
Vitamin B6
Principal use: To reduce irritability, anxiety, tension, depression, premenstrual mood changes, and a "climbing the walls" feeling.
What else you should know: Vitamin B6 (also called pyridoxine and pyridoxyl-5-phosphate) may be the single most important B vitamin in terms of mood and behavior. B6 works with folate, vitamin B12, and tryptophan to make serotonin. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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 WARNING SIGN
If you're on certain cholesterol-lowering medicines, watch out for tea-wFjp colored urine, as well as stiff, achy, or weak muscles. These can be signs of rhabdomyolysis, a serious side effect.
SMELLY URINE
Some of our favorite foods (and some of our least favorites) can make our urine downright stinky. Asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, and garlic can all produce malodorous urine. But some distinct or disagreeable urine odors can also alert you to medical problems. |
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.
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| Immediately, Joe embarked on my nutrition program, refusing to take any cholesterol-lowering drugs, and he redefined the word commitment. He stuck to the plan rigorously, eventually reducing his total blood cholesterol count to just 89 mg/dL and cutting his LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, from 98 mg/dL to 38 mg/dL.
About two and a half years after Joe adopted a strict plant-based diet, there came a point when he was exceptionally busy professionally, under considerable stress, and he noted a return of some discomfort in his chest. |
Gary Null
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| By 2000, not only was there a general consensus that cholesterol-lowering drugs were associated with cancer but the mechanism for how they cause cancer was also uncovered. Apparently cholesterol-lowering drugs promote the growth of new blood vessels, which may have the potential to promote cancer. Tests were done in human cell samples and in live rabbits showing that the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin (Zocor) seems to activate a pathway through which cells communicate and act very similarly to a naturally occurring growth factor. Growth factor is not just a "factor," it's a hormone. |
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.
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| My research shows that this entire process is preventable—and that through nutrition (plus, in some cases, low doses of cholesterol-lowering drugs) the risk of heart attack and heart failure can be eliminated. Scientists and physicians have been slow to recognize the connection between nutrition and coronary disease. In part, that's because the development of the disease is not like, say, a bee sting, in which the relationship between cause and effect is quite obvious. It may require decades of self-injury from a high-fat diet before clinical symptoms develop. |
David W. Grotto, RD, LDN
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| After thirty days of simple changes, without any help from cholesterol-lowering medication or any radical diet, my cholesterol came crashing down to 168-—a whopping seventy points in just thirty days. And I lost ten pounds to boot!
I begin every morning with a good-size bowl of oatmeal topped with chopped almonds, figs, cranberries, and cherries swimming in soy milk. I eat salmon and sardines and drink coffee and green tea. I started exercising thirty minutes every day and have continued this program ever since. |
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