- Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:18 pm
#27891
This is really important!
New research shows the high levels of LDL cholesterol alone do not indicate a higher risk of a heart attack. In individuals who have heart disease or have already had a heart attack episode, lowering their levels of LDL cholesterol can prevent a heart attack (or a second one if they've already had one.) However, in a person that does not have already have heart problems or several other risk factors for heart problems, lowering cholesterol levels does not extend life span or quality of life in any way, or really protect against heart attacks.
This means that if you are an active individual who is not obese, with blood pressure in the normal range, and no history of heart problems, and you test a little high with your cholesterol levels, there might not be any point in taking medication to lower the cholesterol. These drugs have unpleasant side effects and are expensive, so if you won't benefit from them, why bother?
I'm not saying toss your medication, but maybe ask your doctor if he really thinks it is helping. If you have a family history of heart problems, for example, he or she might advise you to stay on cholesterol-lowering meds just to be better safe than sorry. Or he or she might agree to you working towards lowering your cholesterol my changing your diet, especially if you seem to be healthy in every other way.
The point is, why suffer side effects like digestive problems (including diarrhea) and sexual dysfunction if you don't have to? So far, these findings are still controversial, because many doctors want to cling to the old standard (and many of them are paid big bucks by Big Pharma) but the results really speak for themselves, and you can expect to see a change coming in the next few years in attitudes about cholesterol-lowering drugs.
New research shows the high levels of LDL cholesterol alone do not indicate a higher risk of a heart attack. In individuals who have heart disease or have already had a heart attack episode, lowering their levels of LDL cholesterol can prevent a heart attack (or a second one if they've already had one.) However, in a person that does not have already have heart problems or several other risk factors for heart problems, lowering cholesterol levels does not extend life span or quality of life in any way, or really protect against heart attacks.
This means that if you are an active individual who is not obese, with blood pressure in the normal range, and no history of heart problems, and you test a little high with your cholesterol levels, there might not be any point in taking medication to lower the cholesterol. These drugs have unpleasant side effects and are expensive, so if you won't benefit from them, why bother?
I'm not saying toss your medication, but maybe ask your doctor if he really thinks it is helping. If you have a family history of heart problems, for example, he or she might advise you to stay on cholesterol-lowering meds just to be better safe than sorry. Or he or she might agree to you working towards lowering your cholesterol my changing your diet, especially if you seem to be healthy in every other way.
The point is, why suffer side effects like digestive problems (including diarrhea) and sexual dysfunction if you don't have to? So far, these findings are still controversial, because many doctors want to cling to the old standard (and many of them are paid big bucks by Big Pharma) but the results really speak for themselves, and you can expect to see a change coming in the next few years in attitudes about cholesterol-lowering drugs.
