The Great Cholesterol Myth Quotes

“And more and more studies and reports were coming out demonstrating that the real initiators of damage in the arteries were oxidation and inflammation, with cholesterol more or less in the role of innocent bystander. Oxidation and inflammation, along with sugar and stress (more on that in chapters 4 and 8), were clearly what aged the human body the most.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Butter was demonized and replaced with margarine, one of the most supremely stupid nutritional swap-outs in recent memory. Only much later did we discover that the supposedly healthier margarine was laden with trans fats, a really bad kind of fat created by using a kind of turkey baster to inject hydrogen atoms into a liquid (unsaturated) fat, making it more solid and giving it a longer shelf life. (Any time you read “partially hydrogenated oil” or “hydrogenated oil” in a list of ingredients, that means the food in question contains trans fats.) Unlike saturated fats from whole foods such as butter, trans fats (at least the manmade kind) actually do increase the risk for heart disease and strokes!”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Low-fat had become the new mantra of the times, something we like to call the “Snackwell Phenomenon.” Food companies rushed to create low-fat versions of every food imaginable, all marketed as “heart-healthy,” with no cholesterol. (No one seemed to notice that manufacturers replaced the missing fat with tons of sugar and processed carbs, both of which are far more dangerous to our hearts than fat ever was.)”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“In the ALLHAT study, there was ultimately no difference in the death rate from heart attacks between the statin-treated group and the no-statin group. Not a single life was saved by statins. The ASCOT-LLA study was the one that allowed Lipitor to claim that their drug lowered the risk of heart disease by 36 percent but for all the bragging, 100 mil was spent on the study and not a single life was saved. What’s more, critics of the study pointed out a trend toward higher rates of heart failure, diabetes, and kidney impairment in the Lipitor-treated group.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease--and the Statin-Free Plan that Will

“You can prevent and even heal heart disease through diet, exercise, and/or nutritional supplements”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Fast Action Plan: Stop eating fast food. On all packaged foods from the supermarket, check the ingredients list for “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated” oils. If either of those is listed, don’t eat it. Look in particular at margarines, cookies, cakes, pastries, doughnuts, and, as mentioned, fast food.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Shechter recommended sticking to foods such as oatmeal, fruits and vegetables, and legumes and nuts, which all have a low glycemic index. Exercising every day for at least thirty minutes, he added, is an extra heart-smart action to take.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“high-glycemic carbs can affect the progression of heart disease.” During the consumption of foods high in sugar, there appears to be a temporary and sudden dysfunction in the endothelial walls of the arteries”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Eliminate these foods: • Sugar • Soda • Processed carbs • Trans fats • Processed meats • Excess vegetable oils Eat more of these foods: • Wild salmon • Berries and cherries • Grass-fed meat • Vegetables • Nuts • Beans • Dark chocolate • Garlic and turmeric • Pomegranate juice, green tea, and red wine • Extra-virgin olive oil Make these lifestyle changes to reduce stress: • Meditate or practice deep breathing • Express your emotions • Play • Cultivate intimacy and pleasure • And most of all . . . enjoy your life!”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“There’s a direct correlation between high homocysteine levels and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Worth noting: Statin drugs can sometimes raise Lp(a) levels! This is mentioned on the warning labels of statin drug ads in the Canadian edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, but such labeling is not required by the Food and Drug Administration, so you won’t see it in ads published in the United States.7”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Elevated Lp(a) is a very serious risk factor. A very high percentage of heart attacks happen to people with high Lp(a) levels. Dr. Sinatra thinks Lp(a) is one of the most devastating risk factors for heart disease and one of the hardest to”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“(Dr. Sinatra’s recommendation for an optimal CRP level is less than 0.8 mg/dL.)”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“CRP is a marker for inflammation that is directly associated with overall heart and cardiovascular health. In multiple studies, CRP has been identified as a potent predictor of future cardiovascular health”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Taking a statin drug, or any other medication, based solely on the standard cholesterol test is a really bad idea. Ask your doctor for one of the newer particle tests.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“If you have a pattern A cholesterol profile, most of your LDL cholesterol is the big, fluffy kind, which is great; but if you have a pattern B profile, most of your LDL cholesterol is composed of the small, dense, atherogenic particles that cause inflammation and ultimately plaque.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Some are small, dense, “angry,” and much more likely to become oxidized, slipping through the cells that line the walls of the arteries (the endothelium) and beginning the inflammatory cascade that leads to heart disease.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“LDL particle size test is the first test we recommend.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“There is reliable and consistent research evidence demonstrating that omega-3 fats, mainly from fish, lower the death rate from heart disease and lower the risk of sudden cardiac death. This is hardcore evidence that fish oil saves lives.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“omega-3 consumption “lowers plasma triglycerides, resting heart rate, and blood pressure and might also improve myocardial filling and efficiency, lower inflammation, and improve vascular function.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Niacin also reduces lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a). Lipoprotein(a) is basically a special kind of LDL, and it’s a really bad one. This, folks, is the real cholesterol story! Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for heart disease and for heart attacks, yet it doesn’t get as much attention as cholesterol does because there aren’t effective drug treatments for lowering it, and no one really knows what to do about it. Niacin lowers Lp(a) levels by a remarkable 10 to 30 percent.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Even borderline deficiencies of magnesium can negatively affect the heart, and not surprisingly, there is a considerable amount of evidence associating low levels of magnesium with cardiovascular disease.21”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“Cardiac muscle cells burn fats for fuel, so the heart is especially vulnerable to even subtle deficiencies in the factors contributing to ATP supply: coenzyme Q10, D-ribose, and L-carnitine. These”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“cholesterol in the body is never a problem until it becomes oxidized. It’s only this oxidized cholesterol—specifically, pattern B LDL cholesterol—that is a problem, because pattern B LDL molecules are the ones that adhere to the cell walls and initiate or accelerate the process of inflammation”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“If you are on a statin drug you must, repeat must, supplement with CoQ10. We recommend at least 100 mg twice a day.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“when you block that pathway at its virtual starting gate (as statin drugs do), you not only reduce the body’s ability to make cholesterol but you also interfere with its ability to make CoQ10”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will

“disease than cholesterol. Sugar, or more specifically fructose, raises every single one them. High levels of both sugar and insulin damage LDL particles in the blood, making them far more likely to end up incorporated into arterial plaque. When sugar in the bloodstream sticks to proteins, it creates damaging and toxic molecules called advanced glycation end products, or AGEs.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease--and the Statin-Free Plan that Will

“Sugar is the missing link among diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. It overrides our body’s natural hunger regulation, making it very easy to overeat. It is also a major contributor to inflammation in the artery walls. Hypertension, high triglycerides, and a high ratio of triglycerides to HDL are all better predictors of heart”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease--and the Statin-Free Plan that Will

“Greater saturated fat intake is associated with less progression of coronary atherosclerosis, whereas carbohydrate intake is associated with a greater progression [italics ours],” the authors concluded. “Women with higher saturated fat intakes had less progression of coronary atherosclerosis.” Greater saturated fat intake was also associated with higher HDL levels, higher HDL-2 cholesterol levels, lower triglycerides, and an improved total cholesterol to HDL ratio. Saturated fat, at least in this study, was hardly the dietary demon it’s been made out to be. And if this were not a knockout punch by itself, consider what was associated with a greater progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Are you sitting down? Carbohydrates.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease--and the Statin-Free Plan that Will

“But CoQ10 isn’t just essential for those on statin drugs. We believe it’s essential for everyone else as well, and especially for anyone at risk for heart disease.”
― Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease--and the Statin-Free Plan that Will