Am I in "starvation mode?"

[Doberluv]

Yes, I've heard it can make one a little foggy in the head. I'm already like that anyhow, so I better watch out. Another thing it can do (I think) is cause peripheral neuropathy. My Mom had a stroke and has been on a statin drug (Lipitor) and hasn't had another episode. I know that doesn't prove anything. But I think lots of people are on this stuff and they may have had a heart attack or stroke, but then never do again.

My cholesterol is very high without a statin drug. It does bring it down into what they consider a normal range. Actually one part of it isn't quite low enough. And yes, it doesn't matter what I eat, it's always high without the drugs. I know cholesterol is normal and necessary, but if it's too high, doesn't it clog up the arteries and doesn't that prevent blood and oxygen from getting to all the body? If not, then what is it that is clogging the arteries if it's not fat or cholesterol? They do see that arteries are blocked and they do see that it is a fat substance, do they not? How does it get there?

[release the hounds]

it does absolutely clog ateries. But it only does so because they are damaged. Smoking causes inflammation of vessels, they get damaged, when they get damaged, they must be repaired, cholesterol works well for that. Eating trans fats will cause ateries to become 15% less elastic than normal vessels. When that happens, they don't contract and expand to regulate BP like they should and they get damaged, and must be repaired. Cholesterol patches work well again.

Cholesterol by itself and cholesterol that isn't being oxidized by inflammation in your body isn't going to do anything harmful to your body. It's just going to be there doing it's thing. providing building blocks to cells and hormones, making your brain, transporting stuff in blood etc. It's when we create an internal environment that causes damage, that cholesterol becomes "bad" when really it's always doing exactly what it is supposed to be. if it's 300 or 150 if you're not damaging yourself internally it won't matter. It doesn't just precipitate out of your blood and stick to vessel walls, though that's what public policy makers and drug makers would like everyone to believe.

[release the hounds]

can I ask what high is? 30 years ago 250 was normal for a woman at 60 or 65 years of age. Today they say it has to be 180 or less. It takes thousands of people taking statins everyday in high risk groups to stop one and half heart attacks.

In the meantime people are having strokes, yes too low of cholesterol leaves you much more suceptible to strokes than too high, getting permanent muscle damage (rhabdomyolisis), brain damage not to mention the billions and billions spent on them every year.

[Dekka]

There is no evidence that high blood cholesterol causes the plaque to build up. But it is a part of it. The plaques are the bodies way to try to deal with damaged arteries. No the cholesterol doesn't damage the arteries.. in fact the current theory is the constant high carb diet we now eat is doing a lot of the damage! But what the cholesterol does when you have damage is to try to cover damage.

This is very simplistic, and there is something about oxidizing the LDL.. there is also bits about how good cholesterol reverses this...

The long and the short of it is that they really don't know. They thought they knew, but as loads of people have heart disease with low LDL and vice vesa the link is not nearly as clear.

From what I HAVE read about statins... if there is another drug for lowering your LDL I would at least look into it. A recent study (this year) has shown that it increases a womans risk of type 2 diabetes almost 50% and

Most Women Should Avoid Statins

General agreement among doctors is that people at low risk should not be taking statins. Women, especially before menopause, have a much lower risk of developing heart disease, than do men of a similar age. To date, none of the large trials involving women who already have heart disease (secondary prevention) has shown a reduction in overall mortality in women from using statins.2 For women who have never had heart disease (primary prevention), trials have shown neither an overall reduction in death (mortality benefit), or a reduction in heart attacks or surgery. One meta-analysis suggested that overall mortality may actually be increased by 1% over 10 years in both men and women.2

[Doberluv]

So, if the internal environment or the arteries is bad (from smoking or eating too much sugar or whatever) then, one must stay on statin drugs, right? Or else the cholesterol that is intrinsically harmless becomes harmful. Do I have that right?

[Lyzelle]

If your high blood pressure or cholesterol is genetic, then it really has nothing to do with your diet. But they have lowered the "normal" range, and definitely increased the "need" for statins, that apparently don't work. Cholesterol actually does help repair your arteries and other blood vessels, though, as has been said. It's kind of like someone blaming high crime on police, because they see police. It's blaming a side effect, rather than a cause. Sadly, there are many, many causes for high cholesterol and blood pressure.

[OutlineACDs]

Originally Posted by release the hounds

It doesn't just precipitate out of your blood and stick to vessel walls, though that's what public policy makers and drug makers would like everyone to believe.

Exactly this. Cholesterol doesn't clog your ateries by floating loose in your blood stream and sticking to the walls. This is false.

Your blood vessels have 3 layers and the cholesterol builds up between the layers on the interior of the vessel. Over time the vessel accumulates enough cholesterol that it become occluded. It is suggested that people eat a lower fat/lower cholesterol diet, but at that point your diet is pretty moot. Your vessels have been damaged by smoking/high blood prerssure/diabetes/etc.

[Dekka]

Not exactly.. lol. And I personally would look at different options. If you have the damage and the genetics you can take all the statins you want and you are still at risk as your body will still make it. On the other hand it seems if you eat lots (and don't have the 'bad' genes) your body doesn't make more. Ie just like eating lots of protein doesn't automatically mean you will build more muscle.. other factors have to play a part. The cholesterol you eat is broken down, those building blocks make both the good and bad cholesterol. Statins just reduce the liver's ability to make it.

[release the hounds]

I wouldn't say so If you change your internal environment, your body does heal. Slower than when you're young, but it will heal. Unless of course you still want to smoke and eat lots of sugar, in which case it won't matter. If your levels are 150, your vessels are still damaged and your body is still going to fix them and the low levels of cholesterol are still going to oxidize and potentially cause problems. Same as if it was 300.

Statin drugs disrupt the process of your liver in its production and recycling of cholesterol. they also deplete your body of coQ10 which is an important cofactor for many many reactions in your body, most noteably in the muscles of your hear kind of ironic

[Lyzelle]

Here's a video about Statins/Fatty Diet/Cholesterol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6FtUDEpGKc

If you have Netflix, I would suggest Fathead. It isn't a perfect documentary, but it's fun and interesting and it puts a lot more into perspective. Sort of like 101, and something you can build upon.