Low cholesterol leads to 80% higher death rates from nonvascular causes

This study was published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 1997;17:1224-1232

Study title and authors:

Effect of Serum Lipids, Lipoproteins, and Apolipoproteins on Vascular and Nonvascular Mortality in the Elderly
I. Räihä; J. Marniemi; P. Puukka; T. Toikka; C. Ehnholm; ; L. Sourander
From the Department of Geriatrics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland (I.R., L.S.); the Research and Development Centre of the Social Insurance Institution, Turku, Finland (J.M., P.P., T.T.); and the Department of Biochemistry, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland (C.E.).

This paper can be accessed at: http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/7/1224?ijkey=9f09ceeac22d5cf01cd8e23a0abddac7d4e92f94&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

The purpose of this 11 year study was to determine the effect of cholesterol levels on mortality rates from vascular and nonvascular causes. The study included 347 individuals aged 65 years or older. Vascular causes included heart disease, heart failure, stroke etc .

The study found:

(a) Nonvascular causes of death were 80% higher for those with the lowest cholesterol (less than 5.0 mmol/l or 193 mg/dL) compared with those of the highest cholesterol (over 8.0 mmol/l or 309 mg/dL).
(b) Vascular causes of death were 30% higher for those with the lowest cholesterol (less than 5.0 mmol/l or 193 mg/dL) compared with those of the highest cholesterol (over 8.0 mmol/l or 309 mg/dL).

The results of the study revealed that low cholesterol levels are associated with higher death rates .

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The elderly die earlier when taking statins

This post contains a summary of a study published in Age Ageing 2010 39 (6): 674-680 and a recipe for braised beef with madeira sauce.

Study title and authors:
Lipid-lowering treatment to the end? A review of observational studies and RCTs on cholesterol and mortality in 80+-year olds

Books:

Line Kirkeby Petersen1, Kaare Christensen1 and Jakob Kragstrup2

1Research Unit of Epidemiology, Danish Aging Research Center and
2Research Unit of General Practice, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

This paper can be accessed at: http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/content/39/6/674.abstract
 
The author reviewed a total of 12 studies regarding the relationship of cholesterol levels and all-cause mortality. This corresponded to 13,622 participants: 3,789 aged 80 and above in eight studies and 9,833 aged 71–103 (average age 78 years) in four studies.

The review found:
(a) Regarding all-cause mortality in the 80+-year olds, low cholesterol levels did not seem beneficial in any study and low cholesterol levels (less than 5.5 mmol/l or 212 mg/dL) is associated with increased mortality among 80+-year olds.
(b) There was no evidence that statins decrease all-cause mortality in elderly people without known vascular disease, on the contrary, it was even possible that statins increased all-cause mortality.

This finding of the review show that low cholesterol and possibly statin treatment increases the death rate in the elderly.

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Recipe of the day

Braised Beef with Madeira Sauce

Ingredients:

Food Mall: Beef Brisket

1.3kg/3lb brisket

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

75g/3oz bacon, roughly chopped or bacon lardons

6 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

45ml/3tbsp olive oil

1 small bunch fresh herbs

3 parsnips, peeled and chopped

4 celery sticks, chopped

450ml/¾pint good, hot beef stock

450ml/¾pint Madeira wine

Method:

1.Place the joint on a chopping board and season.

2.Heat a large non-stick frying pan and cook the bacon, shallots and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a large ovenproof casserole dish.

3.In the same frying pan heat the oil and brown the joint on all sides for 4-5 minutes and transfer to the dish.

4.Add the remaining ingredients, cover the dish with 2 sheets of greaseproof paper or foil and secure with a lid.

5.Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook on the hob for the calculated cooking time until the beef is tender.

6.Remove the joint from the pan, transfer to a warm plate, cover and rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile add olive oil to the sauce and stir gently.

Statins increase the death rate

This post contains a summary of a paper published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2001 October; 52(4): 439–446 and a recipe for devilled lamb cutlets.

Books:

Study title and authors:

Statins for primary prevention: at what coronary risk is safety assured?

Peter R Jackson, Erica J Wallis, Ifti U Haq, and Lawrence E Ramsay
Section of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Sheffield, Floor L, Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield S10 2JF

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2014585/

This paper reviewed the randomised placebo controlled clinical trials that assessed death rates and statin use. The authors searched the scientific literature and found five trials, namely: 4S, WOSCOPS, CARE, AFCAPS/TEXCAPS and LIPID.

The review found that statin use could be associated with an increase in mortality of 1% in 10 years.

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Recipe of the day

Devilled Lamb Cutlets

Ingredients:

Food Mall: Lamb Chops

4 lean lamb cutlets or chops

10ml/2tsp English mustard

Pinch cayenne pepper

5ml/1tsp lemon juice

30ml/2tbsp tomato ketchup

Method:

1.Cook the cutlets or chops under a preheated grill for 12-16 minutes, turning occasionally.

2.Meanwhile make up the devilled mixture; in a small bowl mix together the mustard, cayenne, lemon juice and tomato ketchup.

3.Brush each side of the chops with the mixture a couple of times during the last 2-3 minutes of the cooking time.

Five Simple Tips To Lose Belly Fat

Whenever I go back to China, I'm so happy to see my friends and family that I eat too much delicious food, and  I'm always much heavier coming back to the UK than I was leaving. I used to be able to lose weight quickly but now I'm in my late thirties, I find it harder to shift and I notice that all the fat goes to one place: my belly. Belly fat slows a fighter down and for middle-aged people it can lead to health problems  later on. The belly is a very stubborn keeper of fat. To successfully shift weight from this place, we need to tackle it from not only a fat burning angle but also hormonal and diet. These are my top tips.

1) Eat breakfast

Studies show that people who eat a quality breakfast, consume less calories during the day as whole. If you're like me, and you like to workout after waking, then eat a banana or a healthy milkshake. I use a food processor to blend  a banana with some cashews, walnuts and milk. Food eaten before a workout boosts performance and enhances your workout.

2) Reduce Cortisol Levels

Too much stress leads to an increase in cortisol which leads to fat gathering around the belly.  Holistic workouts like Qigong balance the hormones so it's important to factor these in as part of your workout. If you're  rundown, stressed or busy then take a holiday from your workout and focus only on doing  Qigong. Once you're feeling better then do a regular workout and include strength training, cardio and interval training. Shaolin Kung Fu has all of these elements in one fully integrated unit.

3) Eat Mindfully

At the temple we say a prayer to our food before eating it and use the eating of our food as a meditation. Mindful eating not only makes us eat more slowly, and enjoy our food, it also helps us to eat less.

4) Eat less fat and sugar

Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, grains and healthy proteins.  Try to cook your own food. Avoid processed food, ready-meals, cakes and sugary drinks. I never saw cereals before I came to the West. They are full of sugar and salt. Try not to eat these types of cereals and also don't drink sugary drinks more than once a week.

5) Listen to your body

Our life is complicated enough so don't over complicate your healthy living and workout. Listen to your body, tune in to it on a daily basis and listen to your own intelligence. Your body has the intelligence of the universe, it knows what it's doing. Let it talk to you and take action on its guidance. 

For more tips on training and health please sign up to my newsletter. 

Patients taking statins after a stroke have a 68% increased risk of suffering another stroke

This post includes a summary of a paper published in Neurology June 10, 2008 vol. 70 no. 24 Part 2 2364-2370

Study title and authors:

Books:

Hemorrhagic stroke in the Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels study

L. B. Goldstein, MD, P. Amarenco, MD, M. Szarek, MS, A. Callahan III, MD, M. Hennerici, MD, PhD, H. Sillesen, MD, DMSc, J. A. Zivin, MD, PhD, K.M.A. Welch, MB, ChB and On behalf of the SPARCL Investigators*

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.neurology.org/content/70/24_Part_2/2364.abstract

This paper analysed the association between statins and hemorrhagic stroke in patients who had suffered a recent stroke. The study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial and included 4,731 patients, aged 18 years and over, who were followed for 4.9 years. The patients received either:
(i) Atorvastatin 80 mg per day.
(ii) Placebo.

The study found:
(a) Patients who received the statin had a 68% increased risk of fatal and non-fatal hemorrhagic stroke compared to those who received placebo.
(b) Patients who received the statin had a 140% increased risk of non-fatal hemorrhagic stroke compared to those who received placebo.

Patients taking statins after a stroke have an increased risk of suffering another stroke.

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Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients found to have a high incidence of carbohydrate snacking

Published in the J Clin Psychiatry. 1994 Oct;55(10):445-7.

Aberrant snacking patterns and eating disorders in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder.
O'Rourke DA, Wurtman JJ, Wurtman RJ, Tsay R, Gleason R, Baer L, Jenike MA.
Clinical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7961522

The study found there was a high incidence of carbohydrate snacking among obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients.

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High fat diets could prevent gallstone formation

This study was published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders 1998 Jun;22(6):592-600

Study title and authors:
Gallbladder motility and gallstone formation in obese patients following very low calorie diets. Use it (fat) to lose it (well).
Festi D, Colecchia A, Orsini M, Sangermano A, Sottili S, Simoni P, Mazzella G, Villanova N, Bazzoli F, Lapenna D, Petroni ML, Pavesi S, Neri M, Roda E.
Department of Medicine and Aging, University G D'Annunzio Chieti, Italy.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9665682

The principal aim of this study was to evaluate the long term effects of two very low calorie diets differing in fat content on gallstone formation in obese subjects. The dieters (who were free of gallstones at the start of the study) were allocated to either a low calorie low fat diet or a low calorie high fat diet for six months.

The study found:
(a) Twenty-two subjects concluded the study, eleven in each group, and a significant weight loss was achieved by all subjects.
(b) Gallstones (asymptomatic) developed in 6/11 (54.5%) of subjects following the lower fat diet, but in none with the higher fat regimen.
 
The author concluded: "In the obese during rapid weight loss from a very low calorie diet, a relatively high fat intake could prevent gallstone formation".