Cardiologist Dr. Aseem Malhotra spoke to the European Parliament last year (2018) exposing corruption in Big Food and Big Pharma. He promotes a dietary approach high in fat and low in carbs as a healthy, non-drug approach to combat diabetes and heart disease. View video here.

by Paul Fassa
Health Impact News

There’s a media war going on in the UK involving the issue of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.

The British Daily Mail’s health editor, Barney Calman, labeled two medical doctors and a PhD nutritionist as “statin deniers” for their efforts in educating the public and debunking the cholesterol-heart disease causation dogma while exposing statin drug dangers. 

The two doctors are Dr. Malcolm Kendrick and Dr. Aseem Malhotra. The nutritionist is Zoe Harcombe, PhD. 

The Daily Mail article is blaming their “propaganda” as convincing people to stop taking cholesterol-lowering drugs which they claim are leading more people to suffer heart attacks as a result.

Since this is another example of corporate-sponsored “mainstream” media presenting only the pharmaceutical position on their own products and seeking to censor anyone who opposes them, we are publishing the responses from those accused of murder for exposing the dangers of statin drugs, as well as questioning the “science” used for the most widely prescribed class of drugs in the world.

Dr. Kendrick’s Response

Dr. Kendrick describes himself as a “Scottish doctor, author, speaker, sceptic” on his blog.

His published books include The Great Cholesterol Con and A Statin Nation: Damaging Millions in a Brave Post-health World among others.

The latter tome extends beyond statins to include many of the drugs prescribed as solutions to health issues that worsen the more they’re prescribed. 

Calman emailed Dr. Kendrick with a warning that his piece was going to be published in The Sunday Mail. It was filled with the usual promotion of statin drugs’ success at saving lives and proven safe after countless trials, confirmed as true by current mainstream medical authorities.

Dr. Kendrick argues the content of the hit piece statement by statement on his own blog.

Here’s an example of one where Calman challenges Dr. Kendrick’s use of the word “con” to describe the cholesterol-statin dogma of heart disease.

To which Kendrick replied:

Yes, I believe that people are being conned, and I believe the public are being deliberately misled. That is why I called my first book The Great Cholesterol Con.

I would point out that there has been one major placebo controlled double-blind statin study done. ALLHAT-LLT, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health in the US. The conclusions of the study, published in 2002, were that:

Pravastatin [a statin drug] did not reduce either all-cause mortality or CHD significantly when compared with usual care in older participants with well-controlled hypertension and moderately elevated LDL-C.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12479764

All of the industry-funded studies were positive. This is either a remarkable coincidence – or something else. A con perhaps?

In other words, something’s wrong with all those positive industry-funded studies when an independent government agency funded study decisively provides a contradictory result.

Calman made this accusation against Dr. Kendrick in his email to him:

Your stance on statins and the link between cholesterol and heart disease amounts to misinformation.

Dr. Kendrick replied:

Perhaps you would like to read this paper (which I co-authored) ‘LDL-C does not cause cardiovascular disease: a comprehensive review of the current literature.’ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17512433.2018.1519391?needAccess=true Which was THE most downloaded paper published by Taylor and Francis in the last year.

Or this paper ‘Lack of an association or an inverse association between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and mortality in the elderly: a systematic review.’ Published in the BMJ open in 2016

‘High LDL-C is inversely associated with mortality in most people over 60 years. This finding is inconsistent with the cholesterol hypothesis (ie, that cholesterol, particularly LDL-C, is inherently atherogenic). Since elderly people with high LDL-C live as long or longer than those with low LDL-C, our analysis provides reason to question the validity of the cholesterol hypothesis. Moreover, our study provides the rationale for a re-evaluation of guidelines recommending pharmacological reduction of LDL-C in the elderly as a component of cardiovascular disease prevention strategies.’

Which was the most read paper in the journal for five months in a row.

All I see from your e-mail are ad-hominem attacks on me. I see no facts at all.  I hope that I have given you sufficient information

Calman concluded his email to Dr. Kendrick by stating his doubt that Kendrick was even a doctor.

There is no evidence you work in NHS practice, or as a GP in private practice.

Dr. Kendrick replied that this was libel and that he would take action against Calman and The Daily Mail:

First, I do work for the NHS [National Health Service] as a GP [General Practitioner], and if anyone wishes to claim that I do not – then that would be direct libel.

I am employed by two NHS trusts East Cheshire and CCICP (Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership).

Feel free to check with either trust, or look me up on the GMC [General Medical Council] website. But if anyone states that I am not employed in the NHS then I will most certainly sue. And I will win, so I would recommend caution on this point.

You can read Dr. Kendrick’s complete commentary on the Daily Mail matter by visiting his blog here.

Responses From Dr. Aseem Malhotra and Zoe Harcombe, PhD

Dr. Aseem Malhotra responded on a radio talk-show by first pointing out instances of shoddy journalism with the Daily Mail hit piece and letting the listening audience know he was filing to have the “defamatory” article “majorly fixed or retracted.” 

Here’s that short talk radio clip:

Just after the Sunday hit piece was published, PhD nutritionist Zoe Harcombe tweeted:

I don’t think statin pushers have any idea how unpopular these drugs are. Some peoples lives have been ruined by muscle pain/damage, cognitive impairment, gastric disorders – all the things warned about starting on page four of the patient leaflet. 

It’s obvious that statin information wars may continue at least until the old guard retires completely or passes on.

But at least statins are not being mandated yet like vaccinations are. We still have a choice despite the efforts of “statin pushers.”

Summarizing Calman’s Sunday Mail Hit Piece

The Calman editorial hit piece was published in The Sunday Mail edition on the second of March this year, 2019. Here a few key lines printed under each photo of the “deniers” in the article:

Zoe Harcomb … a prolific denier … recently blogged: “High cholesterol is not even associated with high heart disease, let alone a cause.”

Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, a GP from Cheshire [seems Kendrick’s lawsuit threat worked], warns …  “People are being conned. The way to avoid heart disease … has nothing to do with lowering cholesterol.”

Dr. Aseem Malhotra … claimed … “Side effects of these drugs have not been properly investigated. Patients are guinea pigs and they don’t even know it.”

Calman’s article goes on to assert that 8 million Brits taking statins daily to prevent early death from heart attacks, because statins reduce heart attack risks, is an “indisputable fact.” Later the article admits the saturated fat theory of heart disease causation has fallen apart.

The article also states that claiming high cholesterol is harmless is “fake news” and statin denier claims that statistics of statin adverse side effects are under-reported are groundless fear tactics that confuse statin users into quitting even before they start having rare “easily manageable side-effects.”

Then the article claims that information on statins not reducing the risk of death from heart attack is also “fake news.” Calman blames the fact that many thousands quit taking their prescribed statins is because of all this “fake news” from statin deniers.

Calman’s editorial considered the statin deniers most incendiary accusations against statin researchers and doctors involved financial connections with the pharmaceutical industry.

Many of us know the problem of industry-funded drug research is not a conspiracy theory. It is actually business as usual.

Calman’s hit piece may have inadvertently tipped some fence-sitting readers into finding more truth about heart disease, cholesterol, and statin drugs.

If you’re new to the controversy with cholesterol and statin drugs, there’s plenty of archived information you can access from the links below. 

Statin Archive Access

Cholesterol Truth and Myth Archive Access

Below are two videos that were originally aired on ABC Australia but subsequently banned, which clearly shows that not all doctors have bought into the saturated-fat-cholesterol theory of heart disease. See:

The Cholesterol Drug War: ABC Australia Bans Documentary Exposing Statin Drug Scandal

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The Great Cholesterol Con
The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It
by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick

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by Paul Fassa
Health Impact News

Independently-sourced research challenges the idea that LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is the “bad cholesterol,” and causes heart disease.

However, the theory that LDL is “bad” persists in the mainstream media and with Big Pharma, mainly because they would lose billions of dollars in drugs and treatments to admit the theory lacks merit.

The hypothesis of saturated fat creating artery-clogging cholesterol as the source of heart disease should be considered dead and incapable of resuscitating, based on the scientific evidence.

But one still sees and hears fearful statements about lowering cholesterol and avoiding heart disease, mostly on mainstream media but even all too often on internet alternative media sources. 

Current research is showing LDL is not dangerous and it’s not an accurate marker for pending heart disease. 

An Explanation of Cholesterol and How LDL and HDL are Differentiated   

Mainstream medicine and pharma-funded research maintains that LDL is the cholesterol that causes coronary congestion.

It’s the “bad cholesterol.”

Perhaps because research has discovered people with high HDL (high-density lipoprotein) live longer than those with low HDL, HDL is now considered the “good cholesterol.” 

For the most part, cholesterol is cholesterol and it’s all good for so many hormonal and structural purposes in our bodies. 

Cholesterol is a waxy lipid substance. It doesn’t mix with our watery plasma. It needs to be carried in the blood’s plasma by lipoproteins, tiny protein spheres that carry cholesterol to wherever it’s needed in the body.

Our bodies actually need cholesterol for many hormonal and cell building functions.

Cholesterol is categorized by the density of its lipoprotein carriers. The density is a factor of the ratio of protein to cholesterol in the particles. High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are smaller with around 50 percent protein and 20 percent cholesterol.

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are larger and contain around 25 percent protein and 50 percent cholesterol.

The mainstream claim is that HDL is the “good cholesterol” because it sweeps up the LDL cholesterol from arteries or other unwanted areas and routes it back to the liver where it came from. (Source)

But if the liver generates LDL cholesterol particles that are carried to various organ tissue areas, including the brain and nervous system as needed, why is it called “bad cholesterol?” 

The conventional explanation has been that LDL particles stick to the endothelial cells of inner arterial walls.

Before we explore the veracity of this claim, let’s have a look at how important cholesterol is for our health.

How cholesterol helps keep us at optimum health:

• It helps to produce cell membranes, which are made of fat.
• It is a precursor to the manufacturing of hormones, including sex hormones and cortisone.
• It is the first step in converting the sun’s UVB rays into vitamin D. 
• It helps to formulate bile acids for digesting fat.
• It is needed for proper function of serotonin receptors in the brain
• It is involved with supplying the CoQ10 coenzyme, a vital cellular energy source in muscle tissue especially the heart muscle.
• It helps form memories in the brain.
• It is important in maintaining the health of the intestinal wall.
• It builds and maintains the myelin sheath – a protective fatty tissue wrapping nerve fibers, which when damaged causes MS and other neurological diseases.
• It is vital toward building brain cells in the brain, which contains 25 percent of your body’s total cholesterol (Source)

It logically follows that by drastically lowering cholesterol with statin drugs, at least some of the listed functions will be impaired leading to some serious side effects such as muscle or tendon tearing, chronic fatigue, mind fog or impaired memory, and even heart attacks. 

Many statin users who had experienced inexplicable side effects recovered completely within a few short weeks after no longer dosing with statins. 

The LDL Theory of Heart Disease is Busted – With an Asterisk

Several independent scientists, physicians, and cardiologists have busted the LDL theory of cholesterol arterial clogging. 

The title below links to an article covering a review study by several international researchers published in September of 2018. Their peer-reviewed published paper rips the LDL theory of heart disease causation to shreds. See:

Experts Review of 107 Scientific Studies: Cholesterol Does Not Cause Heart Disease – Statin Drugs are Useless

Of course, the research is marginalized and the medical old guard attacked the researchers via mainstream media to keep the war against LDL (the bad cholesterol) going and maintain statin drug profits.

Cholesterol fear is maintained now that LDL remains as the cholesterol culprit for heart disease. The mantra to avoid saturated fat and lower cholesterol continues.

The same network of doctors and scientists, The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics (THINCS) who put together the review above, supplied suggestions of potential causes of heart disease other than cholesterol. See:

Network of Cholesterol Skeptics Researchers: Abandon the LDL Cholesterol Theory of Heart Disease and Look at More Important Risk Factors

The suggestions in the above article are examples of where heart disease research should go now that the lipid theory of heart disease has been ripped to shreds, not only by THINCS members but others as well. 

Dr. Ronald M. Kraus, MD is a co-creator of a device that can sort out VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein), from LDL.

VLDL (very low-density lipoproteins) is the “asterisk” mentioned in the title of this section. It will be covered in the next section after this quote by Dr. Kraus:

Low-fat diets are old news, you say? Try telling that to the makers of, say, Baked Lays. It will take us years to shake off the damage done by broadly implicating fat in the diet. Everybody I know in the field — everybody — recognized that a simple low-fat message was a mistake. 

I spend a lot of time talking to reporters and trying to explain that dietary cholesterol is not the same as blood cholesterol. (Source) 

In other words, the saturated fat causation of heart disease is wrong, but it still lingers enough for the pharmaceutical and processed food industries to profit from this “cholesterol con.” 

Despite this uprising from several in the medical science community, the public perception is still held hostage to the official nutritional and medical dogmatic doctrine of using high LDL as a marker for heart disease. 

The mainstream medical monopoly’s use of mainstream media, which thrives from Big Pharma’s advertising revenue, helps keep the cholesterol con afloat. Behind the mainstream public scenes, those who know better are publicly challenged ad hominem while the details of their findings wind up in mainstream media obscurity. 

A Little on VLDL – Very Low-Density Lipoproteins

These lipoproteins contain minuscule cholesterol levels but are high in triglyceride lipids. Triglyceride lipids form the fat from unused carbohydrate energy, like sugar.

Triglycerides are intended as storage to be utilized for energy when other dietary energy sources wane or the need for more energy arises.

But that very rarely happens in our culture of accessible cheap foods, especially with processed and junk fast foods.

Add “energy drinks” to the mix, and as the body gets overwhelmed with foods that disrupt metabolic processing, the triglyceride fat just keeps accumulating. 

The smaller, heavier VLDL particles can burrow into inner arterial walls and cause inflammation with their oxidation-prone triglycerides.

Guess what tries to patch up that inflammation?

Cholesterol, manufactured and distributed by the liver, aka LDL. Internal tissue repair is one of its functions.

And what’s been discovered and is gradually being accepted everywhere, except for mainstream medicine, government nutritional agencies, and the mainstream media, is that excess sugar, refined carbohydrates, and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) are the culprits behind obesity, diabetes 2, and coronary artery disease (CAD).

Dr. Robert Lustig, pediatric endocrinologist professor at the University of California, San Francisco, has been on a mission exposing the role sugar and HFCS play with creating heart disease by causing arterial damage with triglyceride fats carried by the VLDL particles. 

Dr. Lustig explains:

So we were using the wrong marker [cholesterol] all along. It turned out the triglyceride was way worse. Triglyceride is basically what your liver does to sugar. And again, sugar was the problem, Yudkin* was right, and the food industry killed him. [* added] (Source)

*Around the time Ancel Keys was claiming fat was the source of heart disease, a British Researcher, Professor John Yudkin, was researching sugar as the source. Yudkin’s research was trashed by the sugar industry to avoid financial loss by scapegoating fat as the source of coronary heart disease. 

The whole statin drug industry, along with the food industry and its processed low-fat foods that would accommodate the low and no fat diet philosophy are shams based on the totally erroneous assumption that cholesterol from dietary saturated fats is the main source of cardiovascular disease. 

Video: Dr. Nadir Ali, MD: The Paradox of Insulin Resistance versus LDL Cholesterol

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