Did you know that roughly one in four Americans are on statins? And about half of men between 65 and 75 take them? What if the widespread use of these drugs is based on a misunderstanding about the real cause of heart disease?
For years, we’ve been told that cholesterol is the enemy, and that we need to avoid fats – especially saturated fats – to protect our hearts. But what if that’s not the whole story? What if sugar and carbohydrates are bigger culprits than we ever imagined?
Dr. Boz has seen firsthand how deeply ingrained the low-fat dogma is in her patients, making it challenging for them to embrace a ketogenic diet. The fear of fat and cholesterol is real, but it might be misplaced.
Let’s explore how this cholesterol myth took hold, and what a better approach to heart health might look like.
The Flawed Foundation: How the Cholesterol Hypothesis Took Hold
How did we get to a place where so many people are convinced that fat is bad for their hearts? It all started decades ago.
Back in the 1960s, the American Heart Association began advising people to cut fat, especially saturated fat and cholesterol, from their diets. The food guide pyramid, which was built on these principles, recommended that we get half of our calories from carbohydrates. Fats and oils were relegated to the very top, suggesting we needed hardly any. Looking back, this advice may have been more harmful than helpful.
The message was clear: avoid fat and cholesterol, or you’ll die of a heart attack. This idea was drilled into people’s heads and it’s a belief that’s still around today. Ask many baby boomers what causes heart disease, and a large number will say high-fat foods, cholesterol, or red meat. This is the cholesterol hypothesis: cholesterol builds up, clogs your arteries, and causes a heart attack. But a growing body of evidence suggests that this might not be the case.
What if the real cause of heart disease isn’t fat, but sugar and carbohydrates? It might sound unbelievable. But the carbohydrate-centric model suggests that excessive consumption of sugar and starches leads to insulin resistance, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome. These are the key drivers of atherosclerosis and heart disease.
The Battle of the Doctors: Yudkin vs. Keys
How can the theories about heart disease be so different? The answer goes back to two research doctors and a presidential heart attack.
When President Eisenhower had a heart attack in 1955, it shocked the nation. We were desperate for an explanation. Two main theories emerged, championed by Dr. John Yudkin and Dr. Ancel Keys.
Dr. John Yudkin, a British nutritionist, wrote the book Pure, White, and Deadly in 1972. In it, he predicted that sugar was the core cause of obesity, inflammation, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome. He was an early voice warning about the dangers of sugar.
Ancel Keys, an American physiologist, had a very different view. He joined forces with the processed food and sugar industry and attacked and discredited Yudkin’s work. Keys was a persuasive figure who convinced Americans that they needed more carbohydrates and less meat. With the help of the sugar industry, he was able to sway public opinion and influence dietary guidelines.
The Seven Countries Study: A Critical Examination
How did Ancel Keys convince the American public that saturated fat was the enemy? It stems from his research in the Seven Countries Study.
Keys’ Seven Countries Study seemed to show that as saturated fat consumption increased, so did heart disease. This appeared to be a clear, linear pattern.
Looking back, this study wouldn’t be accepted into a reputable journal today. Why?
- Selection bias: Keys selected countries that he knew would prove his point. He didn’t include data from countries where saturated fat consumption was high but heart disease rates were low.
- Other factors ignored: The study didn’t account for other important factors like socioeconomic status, activity level, and smoking habits.
- Correlation vs. causation: Keys only found a correlation between saturated fat and heart disease. He then extrapolated that saturated fat must be the cause.
Despite these flaws, medical orthodoxy latched onto Keys’ explanation, and it became American policy. Yet, there was no surefire evidence. This decision had long-term negative consequences for public health.
The Statin Empire: Why Reversing the Ideology is So Difficult
Why is it so hard to reverse this incorrect ideology? Money.
It’s lucrative to keep the public believing that cholesterol needs to be lowered to prevent heart disease. One in four Americans are on statins. Half of the men between 65 and 75 are on statins. Yet, there’s no solid evidence that this will reverse their heart disease.
Big pharma strongly resists any attempts to change the narrative around cholesterol and heart disease. They lobby the government to protect their statin income.
You can’t throw drugs at a dietary disease. You’re only treating the symptoms, not the disease itself. Drugs don’t address the underlying issues of insulin resistance, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome that drive heart disease.
A Better Approach: Treating Heart Disease Holistically
Editor’s Note: We are not endorsing these products as we have never tried them. But Dr. Boz seems to make a lot of sense, so if you’re interested in
So, what’s a better approach? Instead of focusing solely on lowering cholesterol with medication, Dr. Boz focuses on addressing the root causes of heart disease through lifestyle changes. She has a video that explains how she treats heart disease with autophagy.
Consider exploring ketogenic diets and lifestyle changes. These can help reduce insulin resistance, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome – the real drivers of heart disease. Check out these resources from Dr. Boz:
- Read Anyway You Can – A Beginner’s Guide to Ketones For Life
- Read KetoCONTINUUM: Consistently Keto For Life and the ketoCONTINUUM Workbook
- Use the Dr. Boz Food Guide
- Enroll in the Consistently Keto Course
