Ditch the Statins: How to Naturally Lower Cholesterol With Lifestyle Changes | Dr. Aseem Malhotra

Mark Hyman

Jan 29, 2025

Episode description

Have you ever wondered if cholesterol-lowering statins are as effective as they claim? In this episode, Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Aseem Malhotra reveal the truth about these medications and the pharmaceutical industry’s influence on your health. Discover why lifestyle changes like diet and exercise can be more powerful than pills, and how misleading studies have shaped what we believe about heart health.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • Big pharma’s influence on medical research

  • The benefits, drawbacks, and misuse of statins

  • The Role of Insulin Resistance in Heart Disease

  • The Importance of Lifestyle Over Medication

  • The Impact of Meditation on Heart Disease

View Show Notes From This Episode

Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman

Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal

This episode is brought to you by BonCharge, Timeline, Paleovalley, and AirDoctor.

Order BON CHARGE’s Max Red Light Therapy device today and get 15% off. Visit BonCharge.com and use code DRMARK for 15% off.

Support essential mitochondrial health and save 10% on Mitopure. Visit Timeline.com/DrHyman to get 10% off today.

Get nutrient-dense, whole foods. Head to Paleovalley.com/Hyman for 15% off your first purchase.

Get cleaner air. Right now, you can get up to $300 off at AirDoctorPro.com/DRHYMAN.

Episode description

Have you ever wondered if cholesterol-lowering statins are as effective as they claim? In this episode, Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Aseem Malhotra reveal the truth about these medications and the pharmaceutical industry’s influence on your health. Discover why lifestyle changes like diet and exercise can be more powerful than pills, and how misleading studies have shaped what we believe about heart health.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • Big pharma’s influence on medical research

  • The benefits, drawbacks, and misuse of statins

  • The Role of Insulin Resistance in Heart Disease

  • The Importance of Lifestyle Over Medication

  • The Impact of Meditation on Heart Disease

View Show Notes From This Episode

Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman

Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal

This episode is brought to you by BonCharge, Timeline, Paleovalley, and AirDoctor.

Order BON CHARGE’s Max Red Light Therapy device today and get 15% off. Visit BonCharge.com and use code DRMARK for 15% off.

Support essential mitochondrial health and save 10% on Mitopure. Visit Timeline.com/DrHyman to get 10% off today.

Get nutrient-dense, whole foods. Head to Paleovalley.com/Hyman for 15% off your first purchase.

Get cleaner air. Right now, you can get up to $300 off at AirDoctorPro.com/DRHYMAN.

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.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Unlock the wisdom of longevity

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Unlock the wisdom of longevity

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Unlock the wisdom of longevity

Unlock the wisdom of longevity

© Mindsip 2025 – Made with ❤ in Vilnius

Unlock the wisdom of longevity

© Mindsip 2025 – Made with ❤ in Vilnius