subject: Atherosclerosis Mechanism Updated [print this page] According to the existing model cholesterol is supposed to be the causing factor of arteriosclerosis. Statins reduce cholesterol in the blood thus protecting from cardiovascular disease. Well, none of the above is true anymore. Statins have failed to protect patients from heart disease and cholesterol is now found to be minimally correlated with arteriosclerosis, literally insignificant from a statistical point of view. Cholesterol is not the cause of cardiovascular disease anymore.
Elevated homocysteine levels in the blood is a red flag for arterisclerosis. In human studies, elevated blood homocysteine is found to be a way more significant risk factor (22-40 fold) than elevated cholesterol (1.2 3.1 fold), high blood pressure (8-18 fold) or cigarette smoking (3.5 fold). Obviously high cholesterol is the factor with the lowest correlation score here. But this serves the profits of the big pharmaceutical companies in the best way possible. Selling statins like Lipitor, Crestor etc, result in billions of profit each year for the pharma companies.
In the late 60s - early 70s an enlightened doctor and researcher from Harvard Medical School did a pioneering research on atherosclerosis and defined not only the real mechanism but the best possible cure as well. His findings were discounted by conventional medicine. Few scientists supported him and it took almost two decades for more official publications, except for his, to start supporting his findings. Many research projects and peer reviewed publications prove and support this new model now. Unfortunately it will probably take a couple more decades for the medical society to catch up and incorporate these valuable findings to practice.
Homocysteine is the key then. This molecule, under certain circumstances, accumulates in the liver and modifies LDL molecules. The modified LDL is highly toxic and when it is taken in by arterial cells it causes endothelial damage. This is the beginning of arterioslcerosis. The damaged area accumulates, among others, big amount of cholesterol as well. Soon platelets start to accumulate, get stuck to the atheromatic plaques being formed and thrombosis becomes an extra clinical symptom of atherosclerosis. In this way you have the full spectrum of clinical symptoms. When coronary arteries (supplying the heart with blood) are affected by the above corrosive events, heart disease occurs and the risk for heart attack is massively elevated. Other parts of the circulatory system involved will equally threaten other vital organs, such as the brain, threatening with stroke, kidneys, threatening with kidney failure and the list goes on
The bottom-line is that there is a cheap, safe and massively efficient atherosclerosis treatment. Vitamins. Vitamins B6, B12 and B9 (folic acid or folate) restore livers ability to metabolize excessive homocysteine. This is why this whole thing started. When we are deficient to these vitamins, the liver is unable to convert homocysteine to safer products. These simple molecules are vital for the proper function of liver enzymes responsible for detoxification. Given that a healthy liver is available, supplementation with the missing nutrients provided with instant alleviation of the atherosclerosis condition and gradually reverses the clinical picture. It is unethical for medicine to discount such pioneering research and instead of supporting safe and efficient therapies, prescribes toxic and dangerous statin drugs. Statins have been insufficiently tested on humans before they were released in the market. Taking that into account, it is no surprise they have horrific side effects and they fail 100% in protecting patients from cardiovascular disease. People should know about this. It is a crime committed by pharmaceutical companies and people are paying the price by compromising their lives.
