Can Further Lowering of Blood Cholesterol Save Lives?

For many years, lowering blood levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has been a key target for individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and healthy people at increased risk for developing such disease. Statin drugs play a key role for risk reduction and are prescribed to millions of people worldwide. Apart from lowering blood cholesterol, … Read more

Will the Popularity of LCHF Trigger a New Epidemic of Heart Disease?

Diets low in carbohydrate and high in fat (LCHF) have become increasingly popular lately. Many experts in the field of epidemiology and cardiovascular disease have expressed grave concern and warned that this change in dietary pattern may increase the risk of heart disease. Some have argued that LCHF poses a threat to public health in … Read more

The Modern-Day Heart Patient – From One Risk Profile to Another

Although the death rate from coronary heart disease (CHD) has declined rapidly during the last few decades, CHD remains the most common cause of death in most countries around the world. The reduction in death rate is partly due to fewer people being diagnosed with CHD and partly due to a better prognosis of those … Read more

Statins For Elderly People – A Deceptive Message

People older than 65 years are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Such disease accounts for more than 80 percent of deaths in this population. Age itself appears independently associated with risk, and risk factors such as high blood pressure, lipid disorders and diabetes are common among the elderly. An important question facing the medical … Read more

Statins For Healthy People – Tweaking the Numbers

I assume it is every pharmaceutical company’s dream to market a drug that people take for a lifetime to cut the risk of certain diseases or simply to delay the process of aging or prolong life. Indeed statins, drugs that are often used to lower blood cholesterol, have commonly been marketed as such wonder drugs. Although … Read more