Opinions on high cholesterol

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 5:54 pm

My husband came back from the optometrist today and was told they could see he has high cholesterol by lines they were seeing in his eyes. He stopped taking high cholesterol meds years ago because of something he read about Alzheimer's. He also never goes to the doctor. I'm sure his numbers are high and they will want him back on meds again.

Is that a good idea or does he take his chances with dropping dead of a heart attack? Not trying to be funny but it's hard to know what to believe anymore.

Post by **tex** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 9:30 pm

Hi Deb,

Supposedly, about sixty-five percent of the time, eye doctors can spot signs of a patient's high cholesterol before any other health-care provider can, because the problem shows up as yellowish plaques in the retinal blood vessels.

If I remember correctly, Dr. Eades places the "breakpoint" at about 50 years of age. IOW, if a man is younger than 50, elevated cholesterol levels can indicate a health risk, whereas for men over the age of 55, elevated cholesterol levels are associated with lower mortality risk (increased longevity). At least, that's what the most recent research data show. The troubling part of cholesterol-suppresison treatment is that as far as I'm aware, there are no research data that show that reducing cholesterol levels actually reduces all-cause mortality risk. There is evidence that for people who are supposedly at risk of adverse cardiovascular events, statins do reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.

I'm not recommending that he should take one, but if he's going to take a statin, by all means select a water soluble statin, not a fat soluble statin, in order to minimize some of the risks associated with taking a statin. There are 2 water soluble statins, Pravachol (pravastatin) and Crestor (rosuvastatin). All of the other statins are fat soluble. I highly recommend reading the article at the following link, if a statin is in his future. The fat soluble statins are much more likely to cause liver problems, drug interactions, insulin resistance, and/or diabetes. And as Dr. Eades points out, most doctors don't know the difference, they just love to prescribe statins.

Statin madness

There is some evidence that lower cholesterol levels are associated with Alzheimer's and/or other dementia-based diseases. The risk is associated with depleted fatty acid levels in the brain and /or spinal fluid. As the brain becomes depleted of fatty acids, the myelin sheaths that surround and protect nerve fibers tend to dry out, and as they do, this allows the nerve fibers to dry out and die. I don't know this for a fact, obviously, but I'm inclined to suspect that the water soluble statins should be less likely to contribute to the dessication of myelin sheaths in the brain also, and therefore they might be less likely to lead to dementia issues (but I'm just guessing here).

And if I were taking a statin, once I reached the age of 60 or 65 I would definitely stop taking it (unless my cholesterol level was above about 400 mg/dL), because there are plenty of research data to prove that once you're past the age of 65, the higher your cholesterol level (within extreme limits), the lower your all-cause mortality risk.

Tex

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:56 am

Thanks Tex,

That gives me a direction to go in and some information to give him. He is 53. His Dad also suffers from dementia so I know that weighs heavy on his mind.

sunny · Post by **sunny** » Thu Dec 12, 2013 8:28 pm

Deb,maggot book to read is, the Cholesterol Myth by Dr. Sinatra& Johnnie Bowden. Explains a lot.
Sunny

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 4:56 am

Thanks Sunny!

sunny · Post by **sunny** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:45 pm

Deb....I just read my response..maggot book should read: a good book... Lol! ;-)

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Sat Dec 14, 2013 5:21 am

I wondered about that but I have lots of lots of auto correct issues that I figured it was something along those lines.

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Sat Dec 14, 2013 11:31 pm

There is some evidence that lower cholesterol levels are associated with Alzheimer's and/or other dementia-based diseases. The risk is associated with depleted fatty acid levels in the brain and /or spinal fluid. As the brain becomes depleted of fatty acids, the myelin sheaths that surround and protect nerve fibers tend to dry out, and as they do, this allows the nerve fibers to dry out and die. I don't know this for a fact, obviously, but I'm inclined to suspect that the water soluble statins should be less likely to contribute to the dessication of myelin sheaths in the brain also, and therefore they might be less likely to lead to dementia issues (but I'm just guessing here).

I was reading up on the treatment of alzheimers with coconut oil. Apparently the fatty acids in coconut oil do cross the blood-brain barrier and therefore feed the brain. To treat alzheimers symptoms, patients need to eat coconut oil THROUGHOUT the day. One spoonful is not enough. They need to maintain a steady supply in their system to feed the brain. Interesting.