Statins

Statins under various names [Lipitor, Simvastatin, Pravastatin Sodium] are widely prescribed to millions of adults with the goal of reducing LDL cholesterol, and in turn, reducing the person’s risk of heart disease.

In the United States, the statin market was worth $15.65 billion in 2024 and is targeted to reach $25.63 billion by 2033 – with approximately 50 million people currently on the medication.  

With heart disease remaining as the number one cause of death for Americans, we need to examine the premise that LDL cholesterol has any bearing on heart disease.

Further, we must assess the impact of statins on the body and look further for the true causes of coronary dysfunction.

German pathologist Rudolf Virchow [1821-1902], in his post-mortem examinations, drew the conclusion that thickening of people’s arteries was because of cholesterol.

In the 1950s American physiologist Ancel Keys [1904-2004], who formulated K-rations for World War II soldiers, developed the hypothesis that saturated fat raised cholesterol and led to heart disease.

Although he was accused by some of omitting data that contradicted his theory, his work is still referenced and quoted.

In the 1960s two Harvard nutritionists, Dr. Fredrick Stare and Mark Hegsted, along with colleague Dr. Robert McGandy, were paid by the Sugar Research Foundation, which had the goal of countering any links between sugar and coronary heart disease.  

The final study concluded that changing fat and cholesterol intake was the only dietary modification needed to prevent coronary heart disease. Any studies that implicated sugar were discredited.

From these premises, the low-fat and high-carbohydrate model of nutrition guidelines has led us to our current state – rampant obesity, increased heart disease, and a medicated public.

Of note, a contemporary of Virchow, Austrian physician and pathologist Karl von Rokitansky [1804-1878], proposed that arterial plaque was caused by blood clots on the surface of the arteries, not cholesterol.  

Was Rokitansky right?

It is a complex topic with diverse medical opinions. Let’s explore further.

Cholesterol is a waxy type of lipid [not fat] that is essential for cellular and system functions. The body itself makes approximately 3000 mg of cholesterol daily, with only 25% of its cholesterol coming from food.

It is a major building block for nearly everything in the body from the brain to every single cell.

Among the many purposes of cholesterol are:

Let’s look at some of the side effects of statin usage. Consumers have reported:

Many modern doctors have argued that cholesterol is unrelated to heart disease and that reducing cholesterol in the body through medication has significant harmful effects.

Among these are Dr. Anthony Chaffee, Dr. Paul Mason, and Dr. Ken Berry – see References below for links to some of their videos.

There is a full documentary on this subject titled Statin Nation, link also in References. Below is an excerpt of 13 minutes to give you a high-level overview.

The researchers explain that atherosclerosis, or buildup of plaque in the artery walls, is a repair mechanism by the body to heal a break. It includes cholesterol as a building block, but cholesterol is not the cause.

To find what damages the arterial wall is to find the cause of heart disease.

They contend that commercial interests influence research funding, and the conclusions support the funders.

Chasing cholesterol numbers may not be a viable path to follow given the diversity of medical opinion.

Lifestyle factors play a much greater role in overall well-being and heart health. You already know what they are.