Dr. Jonny Bowden joins us LIVE Thursday January 17, 9am Central

ByJonny Bowden, PhD, C.N.S.

This week, FairWinds Press released a new book co-authored by myself and cardiologist Stephen Sinatra, M.D., entitledThe Great Cholesterol Myth.

So, you might ask, whatisthe “Great Cholesterol Myth”? And… Why should I care?

You should care for two reasons.

One, the Great Cholesterol Myth has been the foundation of the boneheaded dietary advice you and I have been saddled with for the past 30 years, “official” dietary advice that hasdirectly contributedto the greatest epidemic of obesity, diabetes and heart disease in history.

And two, belief in the Great Cholesterol Myth has caused us to take our eye off the ball when it comes to preventing heart disease. Belief in the Great Cholesterol Myth has caused us to neglect therealcauses of heart diseasewhile obsessively focused on an innocuous molecule that’s essential for life and has only a minor role in heart disease.

The Great Cholesterol Myth is actually a series of related myths. Here are eight of my favorites.

MYTH: High cholesterol is the cause of heart disease.
FACT:Cholesterol is a fairlyinsignificant playerin heart disease.

MYTH: High cholesterol is a good predictor of heart attacks.
FACT:High cholesterol is a lousy predictor of heart attacks. Half the people admitted to hospitals with heart diseasehave normal cholesterol, and plenty of people with elevated cholesterol have perfectly healthy hearts.

MYTH:Lowering cholesterol with statin drugs will prolong your life.
FACT:There is no data showing statins have anyimpact on longevity.

MYTH: Statin drugs are perfectly safe.
FACT:Statin drugs have significantside effects, including loss of memory and libido, muscle pain and fatigue, and approximately65 percent of doctorsdon’t report those side effects, according to a 2007 study.

MYTH: Statin drugs are appropriate for men, women, children and the elderly.
FACT:The only group in which statins have been shown to have even a modest effect is in middle-aged men who’ve already had a heart attack. If you’re not in that group,you’ve got no businesson a statin drug.

MYTH:Saturated fat is dangerous.
FACT:Saturated fat is mostly neutral and may even have some health benefits. A recent peer-reviewed study has shownno associationbetween saturated fat and heart disease.

MYTH:The higher your cholesterol, the shorter your lifespan.
FACT:In the Framingham Study, the people who actually lived the longesthad the highest cholesterol.

MYTH:A high-carbohydrate diet protects you from heart disease.
FACT:Diets that substitute carbohydrates for saturated fat mayactually increase the riskfor heart disease.

We need to stop focusing on lowering cholesterol and start focusing on preventing heart disease.

They arenotthe same thing.