ARTICLES
Cholesterol
7th February 2009
By Peter Berkin
By Peter Berkin
The trouble is that far too much emphasis is placed on cholesterol levels and people forget about the basics! There is absolutely no point in worrying about the level of unhealthy fats in your blood if you are still smoking, still drinking too much, still overweight and still spending most of your time sitting on your backside.
As a GP I see patients every day who are picking up their repeat prescriptions for one statin drug or another, prescribed for a total cholesterol level somewhere between 6 and 7 perhaps. Religiously popping a tablet every day in the false belief that the magic pill will make them live longer most people on the dreaded statins seem to do nothing about improving their lifestyle. The drugs themselves are not without their problems either, causing muscle pains, rashes, nerve damage, hair loss, headache and abdominal pains to name just a few of the reported side effects.
So what is the answer? Well the truth is very simple really. We should all be running around all day catching fish, digging roots and climbing trees to eat berries - which is how we evolved. So go for a long run every day, cut out the red meat, butter, cheese, chocolate, biscuits and pastries and eat more fish and berries. Use oats based cereals rather than wheat and always have fruit with your breakfast. Stop smoking and drink only in moderation. Keep this up and your weight and abdominal girth will inevitably reduce slowly.
What about supplements and natural remedies? There is good evidence that it is worth taking fish oils. There is increasing interest in natural products like Red Yeast Rice extract which may also help move the balance of good and bad blood fats in the right direction, but the extracts actually contain a statin like chemical which probably shares the same problems as the statins themselves. Sytrinol is a food supplement derived mainly from citrus fruits (remember what I said about the basics?), which seems a safe, natural option to consider.
So there you have it. You can walk everywhere, eat fish and berries and live longer, or sit back in your heavily used armchair, pop another statin tablet, eat another chocolate, turn the TV on and die young but happy!??
Dr Peter Berkin
As a GP I see patients every day who are picking up their repeat prescriptions for one statin drug or another, prescribed for a total cholesterol level somewhere between 6 and 7 perhaps. Religiously popping a tablet every day in the false belief that the magic pill will make them live longer most people on the dreaded statins seem to do nothing about improving their lifestyle. The drugs themselves are not without their problems either, causing muscle pains, rashes, nerve damage, hair loss, headache and abdominal pains to name just a few of the reported side effects.
So what is the answer? Well the truth is very simple really. We should all be running around all day catching fish, digging roots and climbing trees to eat berries - which is how we evolved. So go for a long run every day, cut out the red meat, butter, cheese, chocolate, biscuits and pastries and eat more fish and berries. Use oats based cereals rather than wheat and always have fruit with your breakfast. Stop smoking and drink only in moderation. Keep this up and your weight and abdominal girth will inevitably reduce slowly.
What about supplements and natural remedies? There is good evidence that it is worth taking fish oils. There is increasing interest in natural products like Red Yeast Rice extract which may also help move the balance of good and bad blood fats in the right direction, but the extracts actually contain a statin like chemical which probably shares the same problems as the statins themselves. Sytrinol is a food supplement derived mainly from citrus fruits (remember what I said about the basics?), which seems a safe, natural option to consider.
So there you have it. You can walk everywhere, eat fish and berries and live longer, or sit back in your heavily used armchair, pop another statin tablet, eat another chocolate, turn the TV on and die young but happy!??
Dr Peter Berkin