Ditch the Statins: How to Naturally Lower Cholesterol With Lifestyle Changes | Dr. Aseem Malhotra
Mark Hyman
Jan 29, 2025
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Evaluate statin benefits for heart attack prevention
For people who have never had a heart attack, taking a statin for five years offers at best a 1% benefit in preventing a non-fatal heart attack or non-disabling stroke.
Understand higher LDL cholesterol's link to longevity for those over 60
For people over 60, a higher LDL cholesterol level is inversely associated with all-cause mortality, meaning you are statistically less likely to die.
Reframe heart disease as an immune and inflammatory issue
Coronary artery disease is not a plumbing problem of clogged pipes but a chronic inflammatory and immune problem exacerbated by metabolic risk factors like insulin resistance.
Avoid statins if you maintain good metabolic health
In subgroup analyses of statin trials, patients with normal triglycerides and HDL cholesterol received no benefit at all from the drug, even if they had a prior heart attack.
Manage waist circumference and insulin to mitigate heart disease risk
For patients with a genetic high-cholesterol condition (FH), their risk of heart disease almost returns to normal if they have a normal waist circumference and low insulin.
Practice Raja yoga meditation to reverse heart disease
In one study, the only independent factor for reversing coronary artery disease was practicing 40 minutes of Raja yoga meditation daily, which led to a spiritual transformation.
Expose drug trial tactics that conceal side effects
Drug companies use a 'pre-randomization run-in phase' to remove participants who experience side effects before the trial officially begins, thus fraudulently underreporting the drug's true side effect profile.
Reevaluate statin use for minimal life expectancy gain
For a high-risk person who has already had a heart attack, taking a statin for five years results in a median increase in life expectancy of just over four days.
Reassess LDL cholesterol's role in predicting coronary artery disease
Data from the Framingham studies showed that unless your LDL cholesterol is extremely high (around 250-300 mg/dL), it is useless as a predictor for coronary artery disease.
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