Statins DO work to decrease heart attacks - for some

Statin drugs are vastly overprescribed and raise your risk of a variety of serious health problems, which I'll discuss shortly. However, at a longevity conference last year I had an opportunity to listen to a talk by Dr. Steven Sinatra, who is one of the best, if not the best, natural cardiologists in the world.

During his presentation he mentioned that statins do actually work to decrease heart attacks for some people, but the mechanism of action has nothing at all to do with lowering cholesterol. Rather, the benefit comes from making your blood less sticky and prone to clotting, along with potentially reducing inflammation somewhat.

This factor may actually be what raises the risk of a second hemorrhagic stroke in some people.

So for certain individuals who are at very high risk of dying from a heart attack, the drugs may be useful, but this is only true if you have heart attack risk factors (NOT if you simply have "high" cholesterol levels). It is important to note that it is also not necessary for you to remain on the drug for the rest of your life. Often you can safely go off them after a course of treatment.

So how can you tell if you're one of those who might benefit from statins?

You need to review your cholesterol/HDL ratio and triglyceride/HDL ratio. Just divide your HDL level by your cholesterol. That percentage should ideally be above 24 percent. Below 10 percent, it's a significant indicator of risk for heart disease. 

You can also do the same thing with your triglycerides and HDL ratio. That percentage should be below 2.

HDL percentage is a very potent heart disease risk factor, and it turns out that the reason HDL may be such a potent risk factor for heart disease has nothing at all to do with directly preventing deposits of cholesterol on your arteries.

Rather it may help to keep your blood thin and prevent blood clots that would shut off your arterial circulation. If that blood clot occurred in one or more of the arteries that supply your heart or brain you would have a heart attack or stroke (brain attack).  However, in people at risk of a brain hemorrhage, this blood thinning may not be a desirable effect.

Why You Should Not Take Statins Without Serious Consideration First

If you simply have "high" total cholesterol and your physician recommends you take a statin drug to lower your level, you need to get the facts straight before making a decision.

For starters, keep in mind that your total cholesterol level is just about worthless in determining your risk for heart disease, unless it is close to 330 or higher. And, perhaps more importantly, you need to be aware that cholesterol is not the CAUSE of heart disease. If you become overly concerned with trying to lower your cholesterol level to some set number, you will be completely missing the real problem.

Further, this latest finding about increased stroke risk is only one of hundreds pointing to the very real risks of statin drugs. There are over 900 in all.

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