Statins are the common name for the class of medications that lower cholesterol. They have been recommended to lower LDL to reduce the risk of heart attacks. However, after several years of usage, it has been shown that the positive effect of statins is not secondary to the lowering of the “bad” cholesterol, LDL but secondary to something else.
Since 2000, statins have been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties. They have cholesterol independent, cardioprotective functions. However, the problem is that statins can cause side effects like liver damage, muscle pain and damage, increases the risk to develop Type 2 diabetes, and neurological side effects like confusion and memory loss.
Alternatives to Lower Your Heart Disease Risk Other Than Statins
Since the problem is not the LDL level but inflammation of the blood vessels, then why don’t we just remove the cause? By doing the following:
1. Start a low carbohydrate diet to correct high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), insulin resistance, diabetes, and hypertriglyceridemia.
2. Start Intermittent Fasting to use and diminish the production of pro-inflammatory substances (adipokines) from the fat inside the abdomen (visceral fat)
3. Stop smoking
4. Increase nitric oxide production to improve the blood vessel function.
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