Originally Posted by John E
We (or at least I) need to ask why so many doctors and pharma companies are pushing statins, etc. so hard. Many members of the past few generations lived well into their 90s without these medications. The impacts of diet, particuarly fiber intake and quantity of food, and exercise, particularly aerobic, on serum cholesterol are well-known, and studies of cholesterol levels versus cardiovascular disease have generally established coincidence, rather than causality. My wife's doctor wanted to prescribe something to lower her serum cholesterol, but she declined, made a few minor dietary adjustments, and came back with much better levels at her next blood test.
I have the same skepticism (okay - maybe it's cynicism for the corporate machine), but Lipitor seems to work for me. My cholesterol has been borderline (~220-240 -- that's considered too high, now) for much of my adult life, despite being relatively active. A few years ago I was out of work for the first time in my adult life and spent much of my days working out or doing lots of physical exercise, and eating primarily salads (eliminated all meat); I lost about 15-20 pounds. I was able to barely "get my numbers down" then. But once back to work, it went back up for a variety of reasons. Until my boss says, "sure, go home early so you can get in a workout", and they sell fresh produce in vending machines, it's tough. (Doesn't mean that I don't keep trying). I take a pill every other day, and my numbers remain good.
I share the concern that drug companies care more about their profits than consumers (and guess whose side the current administration is on) and have a huge is stake in medications versus solving the root cause, but it's hard to argue against the numbers.