Home page > Article
|
Previous article
|
Next article
SEARCH
QUICKLINKS AND VIEW OPITONS
Warning against cholesterol-lowering in the general population, Michael F. Oliver, MD
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Thursday, September 08, 2011 8:59 am Email this article
Michael F. Oliver, a former professor and director of the Wynn Institute for Metabolic Research, London, [and formerly worked at the National Heart and Lung Institute in London, England] those at a very high risk for cardiovascular risk may benefit from cholesterol lowering, but in several papers he has warned against campaigns for cholesterol lowering in the general population.
He notes that the accumulated evidence [of cholesterol-lowering in the general population] is that total mortality is unchanged or possibly even increased (94).
[This is an article written by Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD, and is an excerpt from his book The Cholesterol Myths: Exposing the Fallacy That Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease.]
[Note: The book Fat and Cholesterol are Good for You is a shortened, simplified and updated version of Dr. Ravnskov's first book, "The Cholesterol Myths".] Lowering Cholesterol May Be Dangerous for Most People
Lowering Cholesterol May Be Dangerous for Most People notes Professor Oliver
Michael F. Oliver, a former professor and director of the Wynn Institute for Metabolic Research, London was one of the first to demonstrate that, on average, patients with coronary heart disease more often had abnormal levels of various fats in the blood than control individuals did.
Professor Oliver still thinks that those with inherited diseases of cholesterol metabolism, or those at a very high risk for cardiovascular risk may benefit from cholesterol lowering, but in several papers he has warned against campaigns for cholesterol lowering in the general population.
“Doubts about the promotional nature of these campaigns are not popular.
“Doubters are scorned, although this does not matter.
“But the issue is a very serious one if vast sums are spent and widespread changes are made in the lifestyle of normal people when the accumulated evidence is that total mortality is unchanged or possibly even increased (94).”
Again and again, Professor Oliver has criticized those who think that the increased mortality from non-medical causes seen in many trials is an effect of chance.
Rather, he thinks, the very lowering of blood cholesterol may be dangerous:
“Very little is known about the long-term effects of lowering cholesterol concentrations on the composition of cell membranes (95).”
According to Oliver our bodies may regulate attempts to lower blood cholesterol in most cases, but ...would such homoeostatic [regulatory] mechanisms be effective in all patients, at all times, and in all cells—particular cells in which biologic function is impaired for other reasons?
These doubts will not go away for several more years. (95)
————-
Note: This article was published with Uffe Ravnskov’s approval.
It is posted on his website here
————-
About the Author
About Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD
Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD is an independent investigator, and the President of The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics (http://www.THINCS.org).
He is also the author of several books, including:
Fat and Cholesterol are Good for You (2009)
Ignore the Awkward : How the Cholesterol Myths Are Kept Alive (2010)
The Cholesterol Myths: Exposing the Fallacy That Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease (2002)
Note: His book “Fat and Cholesterol are good for you is a shortened, simplified and updated version of his first book, “The Cholesterol Myths”.
Contact Info
Contact Info for Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD
Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD, independent investigator
President of THINCS, The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics
Magle Stora Kyrkogata 9, 22350 Lund, Sweden
tel +46 46145022 or +46-702580416
http://www.ravnskov.nu/uffe
http://www.thincs.org/
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
More about the Author
More about Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD
Here is his biography from Amazon.com.
“Uffe Ravnskov was born 1934 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He graduated in 1961 from the University of Copenhagen with an M.D, but has worked most of his time as a clinician and a researcher in Sweden, where he got his PhD from the University of Lund.
“He has published more than 100 papers and letters critical of the cholesterol campaign; most of them in major medical journals. Honoured by the Skrabanek Award 1999 given by Trinity College of Dublin, Ireland for original contributions in the field of medical skepticism, and by the 2007 Leo-Huss-Walin Prize for Independent Thinking in Natural Sciences And Medicine.
“He is a member of the editorial board of two medical journals and is the creator and spokesman of THINCS, The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics (http://www.thincs.org), an organization that includes more than 100 researchers and other university graduates from all over the world.
“More details about Uffe Ravnskov are available on http://www.ravnskov.nu/uffe”
About the Author on Wikipedia
About Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD on Wikipedia
You can read more about him on Wikipedia here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uffe_Ravnskov
Articles on the same subject can be found here:
COMMENTS
Please feel free to share your comments about this article.
© Copyright 2003-2021 - Larry Hobbs - All Rights Reserved.