Justin Smith - Statin Nation: The Ill-Founded War on Cholesterol, What Really Causes Heart Disease, and the Truth About the Most Overprescribed Drugs in the World

PRAISE FOR STATIN NATION

In my experience, statin drugs are the number one cause of iatrogenic (doctor-caused) disease in the United States. For those who want proof, I suggest they read Statin Nation . Justin Smith doesnt fall for the usual coronary artery plaque is the only cause of heart disease mantra. That theoryand its attendant drugs, stents, and bypasseshas been a boondoggle for the medical-industrial complex but not so helpful for people. In Statin Nation , Smith carefully and accurately assesses this misguided theory, comes to more well founded conclusions, and helps his readers find their way to more productive approaches to preventing and treating heart disease. Well done.

Thomas Cowan , MD, author of Human Heart, Cosmic Heart

This book amalgamates and updates the authors two Statin Nation documentaries, which are also highly recommended. It provides a succinct but comprehensive discussion of the fallacies of the lipid hypothesis of coronary heart disease. It explains why neither cholesterol nor saturated fats cause heart attacks and why there is no such thing as good or bad cholesterol. Abundant references for those who want additional information.

Paul J. Rosch , MD, clinical professor of medicine and psychiatry, New York Medical College; chairman of the board, The American Institute of Stress

A complete and authoritative explanation of the causes of heart disease. Smiths presentation explains why statin therapy is ineffective and dangerous, and why the cholesterol hypothesis is obsolete and disproven by scientific evidence. This book fills an important need for a comprehensive explanation of the pharmaceutical industrys efforts to profit from statin drugs, of the trivial effect on prevention of heart disease by these drugs, and of their serious toxic side effects. More importantly, the book describes the true causes of heart disease and emphasizes optimal nutrition as the correct approach to prevention.

Kilmer McCully , MD, author of The Heart Revolution

Our utmost wealth is our health. Accordingly, Statin Nation demonstrates that lifestyle changes are the cornerstone of good cardiovascular health, and that the supposed benefits of widely used heart medicinelauded by industry-sponsored researchare based on flawed science. I concur with Justin in this effort to warn our population about the dangers of statin drugs.

Sherif Sultan , PhD, professor of vascular surgery, National University of Ireland; president, International Society for Vascular Surgery

Copyright 2017 by Justin Smith.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

Project Manager: Patricia Stone

Project Editor: Michael Metivier

Copy Editor: Deborah Heimann

Proofreader: Helen Walden

Indexer: Ruth Satterlee

Designer: Melissa Jacobson

Printed in Canada.

First printing November, 2017.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 117 18 19 20 21

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Chelsea Green sees publishing as a tool for cultural change and ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book manufacturing practices with our editorial mission and to reduce the impact of our business enterprise in the environment. We print our books and catalogs on chlorine-free recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks whenever possible. This book may cost slightly more because it was printed on paper that contains recycled fiber, and we hope youll agree that its worth it. Chelsea Green is a member of the Green Press Initiative ( www.greenpressinitiative.org ), a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the worlds endangered forests and conserve natural resources. Statin Nation was printed on paper supplied by Marquis that contains 100% postconsumer recycled fiber.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Smith, Justin, 1971 author.

Title: Statin nation : the ill-founded war on cholesterol, what really causes heart disease, and the truth about the most overprescribed drugs in the world / Justin Smith.

Description: White River Junction, Vermont : Chelsea Green Publishing, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017031861| ISBN 9781603587532 (paperback) | ISBN 9781603587549 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Statins (Cardiovascular agents)Popular works. | HypercholesteremiaPhysiological aspects. | HeartDiseasesPrevention. | HeartDiseasesAlternative treatment. | BISAC: HEALTH & FITNESS / Diseases / Heart. | HEALTH & FITNESS / Alternative Therapies. | MEDICAL / Pharmacology. | MEDICAL / Drug Guides.

Classification: LCC RM666.S714 S65 2017 | DDC 615.7/18dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017031861

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CONTENTS

PREFACE

In 2001, I left my well-paid job as an account manager for a data analysis company in England, and started an intensive diploma in personal fitness training and sports massage therapy. After completing the course, I worked as a personal trainer and massage therapist within the corporate fitness industry and then as a freelance personal trainer at the BBC in London until 2009. During those eight years, I was very fortunate to work with an incredibly diverse range of clients, every one of whom taught me something new. The various challenges of my work also required a considerable amount of continued education. Luckily, Ive always been fascinated by nutrition, which became the subject of a large part of my independent research as well as of several formal courses I took over the years.

What I learnedfrom my independent research, my nutritionist colleagues, and from my clientswas that much of what we are told about healthy eating is wrong. In fact, in some cases, only when the conventional advice is turned on its head does it resemble something close to helpful. One issue in particular that repeatedly came up was cholesterol. Both in discussions with clients and through my own research I found that highly touted low-fat diets do not work for most people, and in 2006 I read Dr. Uffe Ravnskovs classic text The Cholesterol Myths .

Further independent research led to a profound feeling of disappointment with the health care industry in general. I had left my corporate career in order to work in a field that I thought would be less governed by commercial interests and politics, only to quickly realize how naive I had been. I was shocked by the discrepancies between what we the general public are told and the actual scientific evidence. It became obvious that what we think about a wide range of health issues is determined by commercial interests and by experts who are more interested in preserving their own careers than properly informing the public.

In 2009, I published my first book challenging the cholesterol hypothesis. However, those with vested interests continued to heavily promote the false idea that cholesterol causes heart disease. In 2010, I decided to make a documentary film, Statin Nation: The Great Cholesterol Cover-Up , about the issues surrounding cholesterol, which was released at the end of 2012 and was well received. This enabled me to make Statin Nation II: What Really Causes Heart Disease . During that time I also completed the Guardian Masterclass in investigative journalism. Both films together include interviews with eighteen of the worlds leading experts on the issues surrounding cholesterol and statin medicationsexperts from the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark, Sweden, France, Lithuania, Australia, Egypt, and Japan.