Birds
In addition to countless swallows keeping us company while we were fishing, there were birds about 300 yards from shore that were clearly catching insects on-the-wing over the water. The birds were bigger than the swallows and the mystery bird's wings were very long and slender. Nighthawks? Whipper-wills? Some kind of Swift?
There were also some very dark, almost black, duck-like birds flying across the lake that Shotgun tentatively IDed as cormorants (Boo-hiss).
Statins
I went to Scholar.google.com and looked up (statins life-expectancy) and one of the meta-studies that popped up had these two sentences in it:
Eight trials randomizing 65,383 adults (66.3% men) were identified. The mean age ranged from 55 to 69 years old and the mean length of follow-up ranged from 2 to 6 years. Only 1 of 8 studies showed that statins decreased all-cause mortality.
And so while it is indisputable that they reduce cholesterol levels and reduce the number of Major Cardiovascular Events at a rate of one for every 250 patient-years, the net benefit in terms of life-expectancy is...weak.
One mechanism that could explain some of that is that the things the doctor tells us to do to lower or low-density cholesterol benefits many other systems in our body. Exercise, for instance is great for damping-down blood sugar spikes, circulation, blood pressure, helping your bowels move, bone and mental health.
Eating healthily helps keep weight down which helps everything listed above.
I suppose the temptation is to slack off on doing-the-right-thing if the statins drop your cholesterol below some, magic number.
Blood
I gave blood today at a local high school. The students were great. They allowed walk-ins to cut in line and give blood before they did. I am SURE than an extra 15 minutes out of class had NOTHING to do with their gentlemanly behavior.
The same meta studies you mention show that once you are over fifty five the higher the LDL cholesterol, the lower the risk of diabetes, dementia, stroke,etc. and the lower the overall mortality. In exchange for the mimimal benefits of statin drugs, one accepts a high level of dangerous side effects, doesn't seem like a bargain to me.
ReplyDeleteStatins:
ReplyDeleteShort story, 250 lbs one year ago, I made the decision that by the time I turned 60, (recently) I wanted to be back to 220. Currently at 223.
I DO NOT WANT TO BE ON LIFE LONG MAINTANENCE DRUGS.
I am doing what I can with diet/exercise to be healthier..
Keep going, brother. You have the right plan. I advocate reducing those carbs as much as possible.
DeleteBeen doing the low carb thing for past 3 months.
DeleteLove it !!!!
Ahhhh yes boood donation day.
ReplyDeleteEveryone assume high chloresterol is bad. But there's an evolutionary reason that chemical is in your bloodstream. Low chloresterol, for example, is associated with increased risk of stroke. And as Nassim Taleb points out, all medicines have adverse side effects (or nature would have found a way to have that chemical in your body already). Try eating meat and vegetables only, getting 7 hours of sleep a night and an hour or two of vigorous exercise and see what your chloresterol levels are.
ReplyDeleteCholesterol is a factor in cardiovascular disease but it's not the o ly factor. And the data on statins being beneficial is marginal. Statins can also be hard on the liver. Use them at your own risk. I recommend taking Red Yeast Rice. It's a more natural method of cholesterol control. But the reality is your genetics is the biggest factor in your cholesterol. Diet and activity/exercise are smaller factors.
ReplyDeleteStatins also linked to muscle pain and cognitive issues.
DeleteCholesterol was never the problem. Systemic inflammation from seed oils and too much sugar is the cause of all the arterial problems.
ReplyDeleteeliminate seed oils. Eat only olive oil / coconut oil / common lard.
Fat is your friend. Suger, the enemy.
DeleteThe reason they say that diet cannot correct cholesteral is they are wrong about the diet. The problem is the diet is based on cholesteral content of the food itself and not how much cholesteral you body makes with the food you eat. Suger is the enemy. Cut out or limit significantly pasta, potatoes, breads and sweetened drinks. If you also cut diet drinks out you sweet tooth will adjust so that very little sweet satisfies you. Statins are really hard on your body and your wallet. Meat and vegitables are the ticket. Minimal fruit. Blue berries help your brain function.
ReplyDeleteThere is really only one study that showed any benefit to the use of statins. All the others just quote the one, that is a sign.
ReplyDeleteThe study itself showed effective lowering of heart attacks for cholesterol over 300. If your cholesterol is not that high there is no science behind statins.*
Big hidden finding - somewhere between 60 and 65 the relationship switches and lower cholesterol is associated with higher death rates. Bet your doctor didn't tell you that!
*We used to have a saying in the lab "If you don't like your cholesterol level, check it tomorrow."
Next up is to evaluate the "numbers needed to cure/save vs the number needed to harm." The problem (well one of many) is the way the industry handles numbers. If disease X kills one in ten thousand and my medicine has a 50% reduction in fatalities the new death rate for treated patients is one in twenty thousand. That means that twenty thousand people have to be treated for every additional person saved. Whereas one in eight people who take statins suffer pain and other symptoms because they are scared not to refuse their death rate from 1 in 20,000 to one in 10,000.
DeleteFunny concept here but doctors are participants in pharmaceutical incentive programs that can reward them with hundreds of dollars per patient for steering said patient to the 'Right' medicine. Did you get any conflict of interest or other disclosure from your physician when he recommended that drug? Of course not, and you wouldn't ever think to ask! I mean your financial advisor would lose his license for that, wouldn't a physician (Do no harm!) be held to a similarly high standard. Don't hold your breath, we are in uncharted territory, morally and legally, so caveat emptor!
Add in that doctors often choose treatments because they are the "new" fashion. A study that is well publicized is often poorly done or reviewed and often makes for treatment regimens that are used for DECADES before someone shows/proves that the study was either poorly done or done for a specific result.
Delete