“[C]urrent evidence supports ignoring LDL cholesterol altogether,” says the University of Michigan’s [Dr. Rodney] Hayward as quoted in the cover story in BusinessWeek from January 17th, 2008 titled “Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?”

“I now see it as myth that everyone should have their cholesterol checked,” [says Dr. Howard Brody, professor of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.] as quoted in the cover story in BusinessWeekfrom January 17th, 2008 titled, “Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?”

“… the statin trials [that is studies of statin drugs used to lower cholesterol] of people without existing heart disease showed no reduction in deaths or serious health events, despite the small drop in heart attacks,” notes the cover story in BusinessWeek from January 17th, 2008.

“We should tell patients that the reduced cardiovascular risk willbe replaced by other serious illnesses,” says Dr. John Abramson, clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School and author of “Overdosed America”.

” ‘It’s almost impossible to find someone who believes strongly in statins who does not get a lot of money from [drug] industry,’ says Dr. Rodney A. Hayward, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.” as quoted in the cover story in BusinessWeek from January 17th, 2008 titled, “Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?”

“What if you put 250 people in a room and told them they would each pay $1,000 a year for a [cholesterol-lowering] drug they would have to take every day, that many would get diarrhea and muscle pain, and that 249 [of the 250] would have no benefit? And that they could do just as well by exercising? How many would take that [cholesterol-lowering drug]?” asks drug industry critic Dr. Jerome R. Hoffman, professor of clinical medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles (ULCA) as quoted in the cover story in BusinessWeek from January 17th, 2008, “Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?”

“What if you put 250 people in a room and told them they would each pay $1,000 a year for a [cholesterol-lowering] drug they would have to take every day, that many would get diarrhea and muscle pain, and that 249 [of the 250] would have no benefit? And that they could do just as well by exercising? How many would take that [cholesterol-lowering drug]?” asks drug industry critic Dr. Jerome R. Hoffman, professor of clinical medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles (ULCA) as quoted in the cover story in BusinessWeek from January 17th, 2008, “Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?”

Cholesterol-lowering drugs given to middle-aged men cause a small reduction in heart attacks, but have not been shown to reducethe total risk of deathor the risk of hospitalizations. This according to the cover story in BusinessWeek from January 17th, 2008 “Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?”

“He did see a small reduction in the number of heart attacks for middle-aged men taking statins in clinical trials. But even for these men, there was no overall reduction in total deaths or illnesses requiring hospitalization—despite big reductions in ‘bad’ cholesterol,” the article notes.

“Most people are taking something with no chance of benefitand a risk of harm,” says James Wright, MD who did the analysis.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs have never been shown to benefit people over the age of 65 regardless of how much their cholesterol is lowered. This according to the cover story in BusinessWeek from January 17th, 2008 “Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?”

“He found no benefit in people over the age of 65, no matter how much their cholesterol declines, ...” the article notes.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs have never been shown to benefit women of any age regardless of how much their cholesterol is lowered. This according to the cover story in BusinessWeek from January 17th, 2008 “Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?”

“He found… no benefit in women of any age.” the article notes.

Annual medical expenses of obese people with diabetes, dyslipidemia (elevated LDL cholesterol, elevated triglycerides or low HDL cholesterol), or hypertension are 30-60 percent higher than normal weight people with these conditions according to a paper from the University of Colorado in Denver, Colorado, USA.

Obese people with diabetes, dyslipidemia (elevated LDL cholesterol, elevated triglycerides or low HDL cholesterol), or hypertension missed 2-6 more days of work than normal weight people with these conditions, and 5-9 more days of work than normal weight people without these conditions according to a paper from the University of Colorado in Denver, Colorado, USA.

A weight loss of 5-13 percent from changes in lifestyle is associated with a 0-18 percent reduction in total cholesterol; 2-44 percent reduction in triglycerides; 3-22 percent reduction in LDL-cholesterol; and a 7-27 percent increase in HDL-cholesterol according to the U.S. NIH’s Obesity Guidelines (p. 21). Changes are similar for those on diet-alone, exercise-alone, or diet-plus-exercise. (p. 34)

The prevalence of high total cholesterol (greater than 240 mg/dL) increases with BMI above 25, although at each BMI level, the prevalence is greater in women than in men according to the U.S. NIH’s Obesity Guidelines (p. 14).

Obesity is undiagnosed in 22.9 percent of U.S. adults according to a new study.

Obesity increases the risk of cardioascular disease. One study found that being 20-29 percent over ideal weight increases the risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 32 percent in men and 39 percent in women according to one study. A simple copper supplement may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease according to an excellent review paper by Leslie Klevay, M.D. from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Extreme obesity, that is having a body mass index of 40 or more, increases the risk of high cholesterol levels 1.9-fold as self-reported by people who were surveyed according to a paper from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In men, elevated cholesterol levels of greater than 240 mg/dL occur in

• 13 percent of men with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 (normal weight),
• 19 percent of men with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-27, and
• 22 percent of men with a BMI of 27-30.

In women, hypertension is present in

• 13 percent of women with a BMI of less than 25,
• 31 percent of women with a BMI of 25-27, and
• 30 percent of women with a BMI of 27-30.

Since the risk of diseases associated with obesity are associated with belly fat, and not fat on the hips and thighs, taking a waist measurement is a better indication of risk than is body mass index (BMI) according to a new paper from Germany.

Cholesterol levels are associated with bodyweight according to a recent review. Bodyweight explains 80 percent of the differences in cholesterol levels. For every 22 pounds of weight loss total cholesterol levels will drop by approximately 9 mg/dL.

“Clinicians are likely to encounter morbidity more frequently among their patients with elevated BMI, even those patients in the overweight category [with a body mass index greater than 25],” concludes a recent study by researchers from Tufts University, Harvard School of Public Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.