There is essentially zero accountability for dishonest practitioners using heavily biased or outdated methods, which is why it's pretty much anything goes when it comes to informing the patient
Superb public service. Statistics and risk assessment are extremely difficult to communicate and understand properly. This is been shown to be true for many people in the medical and science field as well.
My neighbor, an 81 yr old MD, told me 40 years ago to "stay away from doctors." I did, I will. Now I'm 81 yrs old...I wish I could find a way to stay away from dentists.
Such a big decision, lots to consider, risk factors, side effects, mortality, studies, relative v absolute risk, etc. If only there was a better way. Dr Greger enters stage left, with a bright green tie, a smile, multiple books, a free website, and even an app. Bless you doc. Bless you!
The simplest solution is usually the best. Eat a whole food plant based diet and do some exercise daily. Walking a little more or riding a bicycle for short trips is an easy way to get your daily exercise. Eating a healthy diet and moving more is a simple way to get and stay healthy.
The purpose of statins, as I understand it, is to lower your LDL-C ("bad cholesterol") because a type of LDL is what accumulates in arterial plaques that are the source of blood clots in heart attacks and most strokes. But not all types of LDL are hazardous. I don't think statins differentiate between the harmless and harmful LDL particles. But statins also reduce the production of CoQ10 which is an enzyme involved in muscle function. Moreover, statins don't raise HDL-C, the "good cholesterol". A more specific targeted approach would be better than using the statins to regulate LDL.
Another thing to do is to have your doctor check your thyroid hormone level. Low thyroid (hypothyroid) tends to decrease HDL and increase LDL. Normalizing the thyroid hormone should help reduce heart attack risk. Here's a highly technical explanation of how thyroid hormone affects LDL and HDL: ua-cam.com/video/1YnwlPf3GpQ/v-deo.html . Moreover, not just any plant-based diet, but a diet which reduces your triglycerides should be followed since high triglycerides in the blood pushes the type of LDL toward a preponderance of the bad "small dense LDL" particles that are the ones that invade the walls of the arteries to cause plaques. It is known that a diet high in sugars and carbohydrates leads to high triglycerides, so go light on those foods. What's a "healthy" diet is a subject of debate. For example, one school of thought says that a diet based on starch is ideal, but that's a lot of carbohydrate. Another school of thought says avoid carbohydrates and make up for the energy need by eating a high-fat/low-carbohydrate diet. This is not simple stuff.
I am absolutely in the lifestyle change camp, however, some research statistics have shown that statins have helped reduce covid morbidity. As in over 80% less death with either form of statin. Thank you so much for your organization. I can'even begin to imagine the number if people who have lived longer and better thanks to you.
Still stand by my decision to not take a statin my doc prescribed for mildly raised cholesterol and gallstones and go the dietary route instead. I need to improve the diet more as have slipped in recent months but I still feel diet is the better choice. Folks with v high cholesterol who can't manage it even after going WFPB are, IMO, the only guys who should consider it. But we all gotta take our choice ourselves. But it's great to have this honest information so that we can make an informed decision.
Yep, my mom is Whole Foods plant based oil free and still total cholesterol is 182 mg/dL and LDL is 118 mg/dL, so we are using the statin. She doesn’t even consume cholesterol, but we seem to suffer from high cholesterol in our family
All of these calculators place a lot of emphasis on having higher HDL to reduce risk. Being a vegan whole foods lower fat along the lines of Esselstyn/McDougal is going to lower HDL along with Total Cholesterol and LDL-C. I am finding that I am going into the statin recommended range (above 7.5% 10-year risk) no matter how low cholesterol and LDL-C are because my HDL is also low. But Esselstyn and others have explained that HDL will also go down with lower cholesterol and LDL and lower HDL does not raise risk in that situation.
Your last statement is true simply because there's just less fat floating around in your blood. BTW, I thought there was some controversy over whether HDL was thought to be as protective as we were previously told?
Yes, but you have to know what they mean/how to use them. If people were going around bludgeoning people with hammers, we wouldn't suddenly decide that hammers are bad. (on second thought, we aren't the smartest society and there would undoubtedly be an anti-hammer contingent, but you get my point)
Lots of emphasis on benefits and very little on risks. All those patients who, against their doctors recommendations stop taking statins, are not included in the official tally of adverse affects. These people just quietly stop filling their scrips and their experiences with the drug are never recorded.
Can be taken as a transition not natto (fermented soybeans); or nattokinase in capsule form as a substitute for statins, at least until ideal levels are reached through healthy eating WFPB SOS
I’d like this to be updated so that the doctor is using genetic testing to make sure the statin and high blood pressure drugs they’re recommending aren’t going to cause more problems than they solve…liver damage, kidney damage, muscle damage, etc
Dr. Gregor I would love to shadow you for a month. You seem like such a high producer!. I just started fasting and eliminating most animal products. I do have more energy but I just started. I need to publish so much b4 I leave this earth!
Tough one. I guess I wonder if statins help if someone is on a protective lifestyle protocol like Ornish or Esselstyn, or if there is a method to determining how to get off statins. I know so many youngish people, 50's, 60's who take them (statins) prophylactically.
If they can get their LDL levels down to about 70 mg/dl (roughly the threshold below which lowering LDL doesn't appear to reduce cardiovascular issues) through diet I doubt statins would be beneficial, and many individuals probably could get their LDL that low with the right diet.
@@garethbaus5471 One thing to be aware of is that Lipoprotein(a) is also a factor. And this is much more hereditary in nature. Testing for it is less common. But it's good to know what a person's levels are.
@@Albopepper LOL, I asked my GP about this and he didn't have a clue. I then asked a cardiologist, neither did he. Then six months later, he recommended a LP(a). It can simply go into your routine blood work, but I suspect it's just one possible genetic marker, It couldn't hurt to see where you are though.
Well, I’ve had my mom on a Whole Foods plant based diet, oil free since December 2021. She had a major stroke and I’m her caretaker. We do the Esselstyn program. Her total cholesterol went down from 250 to 182 mg/dL and her LDL went from 156 to 118 mg/dL, just with diet, but we can’t get it lower. So just yesterday we added the statin that was recommended. This stroke left her without being able to speak much and paralysis on her right side, so we’re really trying to prevent another. A second stroke is much scarier than the possible side effects of the statin.
Are 5 or even 10 year time frames long enough though? It seems to me that heart disease is something that happens over multiple decades and the benefits derived from statin use would increase if you extend the timeframe in which they are used. For example, a 30 year old male statin candidate likely would see the benefits in their 50's and 60's not necessarily in their 40's.
Ok, so I took the tests, and here's what I found for me: Relative risk: 25% higher if no statin Absolute risk: 1% higher if no statin However, the risk factors do rise significantly with each decade of age.
@@donwinston what do they work at besides lowering an arbitrary number? In other words, what do statins accomplish that is so miraculous it becomes the focal point of your health care? If you look at the statistics, placebos work about as well.
@@dawnrobbins5877 That is not frigging true. There are numerous statins on the market. To get approved by the FDA they not only had to prove that it lowered cholesterol but that it also significantly reduced cardiovascular disease. They work! Dr. Gregor just told you so. If you have heart disease or at risk of heart disease it is obvious you should take a statin, eat a low fat(at least a low saturated fat) and low cholesterol diet, and exercise regularly. Statins stabilize already existing plaque reducing heart attacks, lower cholesterol levels reducing further build up of plaque, and can even help reduce plaque along with diet and exercise.
Remember youre only thinking about American doctors who make up a small % of world doctors. Im a doctor in Canada. I dont make any extra money when I have patients on any drugs let alone statins. But for me the evidence is clear; the risks of statins are incredibly low, and if I only need to treat 20 people to prevent one MI in my high risk patients, Im absolutely giving it to them
The Mayo Clinic tool is not designed to be used by individuals with a "history of events such as prior heart attack or stroke, acute coronary syndromes, history of angioplasty or stents, etc."
Yes, because if you had one of these conditions, a statin is indicated (meaning almost necessary) to prevent further damage. The tool is for those people, who haven't had a heart attack, stroke, etc. and who want to prevent such a condition to happen.
why bring up the breast cancer risk in the early part of the presentation, only to say it was discounted later on? It should not have been mentioned at all.
taking a statin causes me constipation which makes me wonder where is that water going ? and if statins are causing inflammation that requires fluid to be diverted from my colon?
Honestly the most useful metric for a patient compare to would probably be the difference in all cause mortality for individuals with similar risk factors since it can partially account for negative side effects, plus it could be used to extrapolate the average amount of life extension the person might gain from the drug and the person could decide if living x more days is worth the price.
Totalmente de acuerdo. Felicidades doctor. Sabemos que la medicina no sirve me realidad. Como dice el maestro Casanova lenti no busques el mejor médico en otros países búscalo en tí. La única medicina que sirve el la medicina hipocrática verdadera. Que tu alimentos sea tu medicina!!
It's ridiculous how people think statins are evil and it's all a conspiracy. Check out Dr. Gil Carvalho on Nutrition Made Simple for an objective evaluation.
There is essentially zero accountability for dishonest practitioners using heavily biased or outdated methods, which is why it's pretty much anything goes when it comes to informing the patient
Superb public service. Statistics and risk assessment are extremely difficult to communicate and understand properly. This is been shown to be true for many people in the medical and science field as well.
They however get paid a shtton of money to do so and don't bother because big pharma isn't teaching THAT at Med School.
My neighbor, an 81 yr old MD, told me 40 years ago to "stay away from doctors." I did, I will. Now I'm 81 yrs old...I wish I could find a way to stay away from dentists.
they are even worst
Such a big decision, lots to consider, risk factors, side effects, mortality, studies, relative v absolute risk, etc. If only there was a better way.
Dr Greger enters stage left, with a bright green tie, a smile, multiple books, a free website, and even an app.
Bless you doc. Bless you!
The simplest solution is usually the best.
Eat a whole food plant based diet and do some exercise daily.
Walking a little more or riding a bicycle for short trips is an easy way to get your daily exercise.
Eating a healthy diet and moving more is a simple way to get and stay healthy.
The purpose of statins, as I understand it, is to lower your LDL-C ("bad cholesterol") because a type of LDL is what accumulates in arterial plaques that are the source of blood clots in heart attacks and most strokes. But not all types of LDL are hazardous. I don't think statins differentiate between the harmless and harmful LDL particles. But statins also reduce the production of CoQ10 which is an enzyme involved in muscle function. Moreover, statins don't raise HDL-C, the "good cholesterol". A more specific targeted approach would be better than using the statins to regulate LDL.
Another thing to do is to have your doctor check your thyroid hormone level. Low thyroid (hypothyroid) tends to decrease HDL and increase LDL. Normalizing the thyroid hormone should help reduce heart attack risk. Here's a highly technical explanation of how thyroid hormone affects LDL and HDL: ua-cam.com/video/1YnwlPf3GpQ/v-deo.html . Moreover, not just any plant-based diet, but a diet which reduces your triglycerides should be followed since high triglycerides in the blood pushes the type of LDL toward a preponderance of the bad "small dense LDL" particles that are the ones that invade the walls of the arteries to cause plaques. It is known that a diet high in sugars and carbohydrates leads to high triglycerides, so go light on those foods. What's a "healthy" diet is a subject of debate. For example, one school of thought says that a diet based on starch is ideal, but that's a lot of carbohydrate. Another school of thought says avoid carbohydrates and make up for the energy need by eating a high-fat/low-carbohydrate diet. This is not simple stuff.
I am absolutely in the lifestyle change camp, however, some research statistics have shown that statins have helped reduce covid morbidity. As in over 80% less death with either form of statin. Thank you so much for your organization. I can'even begin to imagine the number if people who have lived longer and better thanks to you.
less death because of the reduced comorbidities?
Really useful link! Thank you!
My DR wanted me to take 10 mg Crestor daily. I take 5 mg every other day and blueberries and amla powder every day and my numbers are good now.
Still stand by my decision to not take a statin my doc prescribed for mildly raised cholesterol and gallstones and go the dietary route instead. I need to improve the diet more as have slipped in recent months but I still feel diet is the better choice.
Folks with v high cholesterol who can't manage it even after going WFPB are, IMO, the only guys who should consider it. But we all gotta take our choice ourselves. But it's great to have this honest information so that we can make an informed decision.
Yep, my mom is Whole Foods plant based oil free and still total cholesterol is 182 mg/dL and LDL is 118 mg/dL, so we are using the statin. She doesn’t even consume cholesterol, but we seem to suffer from high cholesterol in our family
I've heard that statins increase the risk of getting type 2 diabetes, which isn't mentioned in this video.
All of these calculators place a lot of emphasis on having higher HDL to reduce risk. Being a vegan whole foods lower fat along the lines of Esselstyn/McDougal is going to lower HDL along with Total Cholesterol and LDL-C. I am finding that I am going into the statin recommended range (above 7.5% 10-year risk) no matter how low cholesterol and LDL-C are because my HDL is also low.
But Esselstyn and others have explained that HDL will also go down with lower cholesterol and LDL and lower HDL does not raise risk in that situation.
Your last statement is true simply because there's just less fat floating around in your blood. BTW, I thought there was some controversy over whether HDL was thought to be as protective as we were previously told?
Do you have any links? This is my situation also. HDL And LDL went down. Hdl more so.
"There are three kinds of lies. Lies, damned lies and statistics." ---Benjamin Disraeli
I heard someone say on the subject of statistics, "If you torture them enough they'll tell you anything!"
Yes, but you have to know what they mean/how to use them. If people were going around bludgeoning people with hammers, we wouldn't suddenly decide that hammers are bad. (on second thought, we aren't the smartest society and there would undoubtedly be an anti-hammer contingent, but you get my point)
Lots of emphasis on benefits and very little on risks. All those patients who, against their doctors recommendations stop taking statins, are not included in the official tally of adverse affects. These people just quietly stop filling their scrips and their experiences with the drug are never recorded.
I'll take my chances without meds.
Just pick a diet that doesn’t mix carbs with fat, also eat healthy vegetables, and either exercise or do intermittent fasting
@@saedabumokh9577 look up vitamin D3 and vitamin k2 been on both for a few years HUGE difference ... No need for a statin
i'll just take statin and eat delicious food instead of torturing myself by only eating vegetable for the rest of my life
@@mizutofu there are ways to make healthy and yummy food too, but it sometimes takes a bit of time to learn and make it from scratch
@@mizutofu good luck with your magic pill
Can be taken as a transition not natto (fermented soybeans); or nattokinase in capsule form as a substitute for statins, at least until ideal levels are reached through healthy eating WFPB SOS
What about the risk of age related brain disorders ie Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s or memory loss and statin long term use?
I’d like this to be updated so that the doctor is using genetic testing to make sure the statin and high blood pressure drugs they’re recommending aren’t going to cause more problems than they solve…liver damage, kidney damage, muscle damage, etc
Dr. Gregor I would love to shadow you for a month. You seem like such a high producer!. I just started fasting and eliminating most animal products. I do have more energy but I just started. I need to publish so much b4 I leave this earth!
He will produce off you. You watch out.
Like the investment houses love to say, Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Tough one. I guess I wonder if statins help if someone is on a protective lifestyle protocol like Ornish or Esselstyn, or if there is a method to determining how to get off statins. I know so many youngish people, 50's, 60's who take them (statins) prophylactically.
If they can get their LDL levels down to about 70 mg/dl (roughly the threshold below which lowering LDL doesn't appear to reduce cardiovascular issues) through diet I doubt statins would be beneficial, and many individuals probably could get their LDL that low with the right diet.
@@garethbaus5471 One thing to be aware of is that Lipoprotein(a) is also a factor. And this is much more hereditary in nature. Testing for it is less common. But it's good to know what a person's levels are.
@@Albopepper LOL, I asked my GP about this and he didn't have a clue. I then asked a cardiologist, neither did he. Then six months later, he recommended a LP(a). It can simply go into your routine blood work, but I suspect it's just one possible genetic marker, It couldn't hurt to see where you are though.
Well, I’ve had my mom on a Whole Foods plant based diet, oil free since December 2021. She had a major stroke and I’m her caretaker. We do the Esselstyn program. Her total cholesterol went down from 250 to 182 mg/dL and her LDL went from 156 to 118 mg/dL, just with diet, but we can’t get it lower. So just yesterday we added the statin that was recommended. This stroke left her without being able to speak much and paralysis on her right side, so we’re really trying to prevent another. A second stroke is much scarier than the possible side effects of the statin.
Are 5 or even 10 year time frames long enough though? It seems to me that heart disease is something that happens over multiple decades and the benefits derived from statin use would increase if you extend the timeframe in which they are used. For example, a 30 year old male statin candidate likely would see the benefits in their 50's and 60's not necessarily in their 40's.
Ok, so I took the tests, and here's what I found for me:
Relative risk: 25% higher if no statin
Absolute risk: 1% higher if no statin
However, the risk factors do rise significantly with each decade of age.
I thought with an LDL of 60, heart attack risk is close to zero, but the Mayo Clinic calculator still shows 10% for a 70 year old man with BP 110.
Many a doctor pays for their homes by pushing statins. Extra four office visits per year, four blood draws, and hours sitting in their waiting rooms.
Doctors "push" statins because they work! And they know almost no one is going to significantly change their diet and exercise a lot.
@@donwinston what do they work at besides lowering an arbitrary number? In other words, what do statins accomplish that is so miraculous it becomes the focal point of your health care? If you look at the statistics, placebos work about as well.
@@dawnrobbins5877 That is not frigging true. There are numerous statins on the market. To get approved by the FDA they not only had to prove that it lowered cholesterol but that it also significantly reduced cardiovascular disease. They work! Dr. Gregor just told you so. If you have heart disease or at risk of heart disease it is obvious you should take a statin, eat a low fat(at least a low saturated fat) and low cholesterol diet, and exercise regularly. Statins stabilize already existing plaque reducing heart attacks, lower cholesterol levels reducing further build up of plaque, and can even help reduce plaque along with diet and exercise.
Remember youre only thinking about American doctors who make up a small % of world doctors. Im a doctor in Canada. I dont make any extra money when I have patients on any drugs let alone statins. But for me the evidence is clear; the risks of statins are incredibly low, and if I only need to treat 20 people to prevent one MI in my high risk patients, Im absolutely giving it to them
It has been proven beyond any doubt that statins saves lives and enables many people to live longer than they otherwise would.
The Mayo Clinic tool is not designed to be used by individuals with a "history of events such as prior heart attack or stroke, acute coronary syndromes, history of angioplasty or stents, etc."
Yes, because if you had one of these conditions, a statin is indicated (meaning almost necessary) to prevent further damage.
The tool is for those people, who haven't had a heart attack, stroke, etc. and who want to prevent such a condition to happen.
why bring up the breast cancer risk in the early part of the presentation, only to say it was discounted later on? It should not have been mentioned at all.
taking a statin causes me constipation which makes me wonder where is that water going ? and if statins are causing inflammation that requires fluid to be diverted from my colon?
Great information. Doctors don't tell you this. Maybe they attend dinners provided by big pharma for free and get money from them.
They do.
Honestly the most useful metric for a patient compare to would probably be the difference in all cause mortality for individuals with similar risk factors since it can partially account for negative side effects, plus it could be used to extrapolate the average amount of life extension the person might gain from the drug and the person could decide if living x more days is worth the price.
Can statins raise your fasting BG?
I believe statins have been shown to increase your risk of developing diabetes so it wouldn't surprise me.
Just amazing incite
insight
If there are any institutions we *need* to trust, it's medical and science.
Totalmente de acuerdo.
Felicidades doctor.
Sabemos que la medicina no sirve me realidad.
Como dice el maestro Casanova lenti no busques el mejor médico en otros países búscalo en tí.
La única medicina que sirve el la medicina hipocrática verdadera.
Que tu alimentos sea tu medicina!!
It's ridiculous how people think statins are evil and it's all a conspiracy. Check out Dr. Gil Carvalho on Nutrition Made Simple for an objective evaluation.
i'll just take statin and eat delicious food instead of torturing myself by only eating vegetable for the rest of my life