Presenter: David Diamond

Format: MP4 Video file download
Includes: Audio & Slides

The reputed role of high serum cholesterol as a causal factor in coronary heart disease (CHD) has been a source of controversy and debate for decades. Today millions of healthy people are on statins, which are drugs that reduce cholesterol levels. Moreover, the number of healthy people on statins will increase considerably if current guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association are followed. Despite many contradictory findings, advocates for cholesterol reduction have praised statins as ?miracle drugs? which provide ?the best anti-atherosclerotic insurance?. However, close inspection of the clinical trial findings reveals that the apparent benefit of statins is much less impressive than clinicians and the general public have been led to believe. I will discuss how biased research has created the false appearance that cholesterol causes heart disease and that statins are wonder drugs that save lives. I will describe how researchers have used deceptive statistics to give health care providers and the public the false impression that statins produce a dramatic reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease and mortality. I will also point out that the minuscule benefits of statins are offset by their well-documented adverse effects, such as promoting the development of type 2 diabetes, cognitive impairments, cataracts, muscle pain and wasting, and increased incidence of cancer. This talk will serve as a wake-up call for the public to educate themselves on how to optimize their diet and cardiovascular health without depending on medication.