A person not taking statins is like a fish not riding a bike.

A person not on statins is like a fish not riding a bike. By which I mean that statins are as much use to a person (with or without high cholesterol) as a bike is to a fish. What's the use of lowering or preventing high cholesterol - just one symptom of heart disease - and by no means the most serious symptom, if indeed it is serious or significant at all? Especially as statins are quite expensive and for far too many people also have painful, long-lasting side-effects.

If you want to improve your heart health overall, not just one symptom, and want to do it safely, without unpleasant, harmful side-effects, then you can do that simply, swiftly and very effectively without statins or other drugs. You just need to avoid salt and salty food. When I say that you 'just' need to do this, I must admit that this is not as easy as taking pills. You have to avoid most processed food, since most processed food has had a lot of salt added to it by the manufacturers. This means you'll need to buy more fresh food and you'll need to cook it yourself. But the health benefits that accrue from sodium reduction are very much worth the effort: lowered high cholesterol, lowered high blood pressure, reduced excess weight, more energy and vitality, greater mental alertness, improved sleep, reduced risk of heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, most cancers, depression, dementia, etc.

See Associated health conditions

How to lose weight

And see Sodium in foods

and FAT RETENTION

This article is by Margaret Wilde