• Chapter 39: Conclusion
• Chapter 40: Specific Daily Supplement Considerations

Chapter Excerpts

The best treatment to prevent heart disease and stroke is NOT to simply lower cholesterol with statin drugs as much as it is to PROTECT LDL cholesterol… NO MATTER the level… from OXIDATION (according to the opinion of Dr. Ladd McNamara). Even among people with higher levels of cholesterol, those whose LDL cholesterol is NOT oxidized, along with a LOW homocysteine level (less than 6.5), will have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke than those that simply have a “normal” LDL cholesterol level (which IS oxidized).

Shall we risk serious and permanent side effects, including disease and possible death from statin drugs, or shall we enjoy all the positive benefits of nutrition, including longer life, less disease and no harm from the use of vitamins and minerals? The choice is in our hands …literally!

Ladd McNamara, M.D.

• Chapter 31: The Importance of LDL Cholesterol
• Chapter 32: The Role of Diabetes and High Blood Sugar in the Development of Coronary Artery Disease

Chapter Excerpts

Evidence supports the theory that when a person’s total cholesterol drops below 160, the immune system is weakened. Statin drugs, i.e., cholesterol-lowering drugs, are known to suppress the immune system.

Obesity leads to diabetes through oxidation of insulin receptors, and along with the oxidation of lipids (including cholesterol) and inflammation of the arterial wall leads to heart disease, stroke, and eventually death.

Chapter References

• 74: Rauchhaus M, Clark A, Doehner W, Davos C, et al. The relationship between cholesterol and survival in patients with chronic heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003 Dec 3; 42(11):1933-1940.
• 75: Fuller C, Jialal I, et al. rrr-alpha-tocopherol acetate supplementation at pharmacologic doses decreases low-density-lipoprotein oxidative susceptibility but not protein glycation in patients with diabetes mellitus. Am J Clin Nutri. 1996 63:753-759.
• 76: Somogyi A, et al. Hypothetical connection between diabetes mellitus and free radical reactions in arteriosclerosis. Orvosi Hetilap [Hungarian] 1994 135:(33):1815-1818.
• 77: Jialal I. Effect of combined supplementation with alpha-tocopherol ascorbate and beta-carotene on low-density lipoprotein oxidation. Circulation. 1993 88:2780-2786.
• 78: Munch G, Mayer S, Michaelis J, et al. Influence of advanced glycation end-products and AGE-ingivitors on nucleation-dependent polymerization of beta-amyloid peptide. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1997 1360(1):17-29.
• 79: Hipkiss A, Michaelis J, Syrris P. Non-enzymatic glycosylation of the dipeptide L-carnosine, a potential anti-protein-cross-linking agent. FEBS Lett. 1995 371(1):81-85.
• 80: Brownson C, Hipkiss A. Carnosine reacts with a glycated protein. Free Radic Biol Med. 2000 28(10):1564-1570.
• 81: Yamano T, et al. Effect of L-carnosine on the hyperglycemia caused by intracranial injection of 2-deoxy-D-glucose in rats. Neurosci Lett 2001 Nov 2;313(1-2):78-82.
• 82: Heitzer T, et al. Beneficial effects of alpha-lipoic acid and ascorbic acid on endothelium-dependent, nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation in diabetic patients: relation to parameters of oxidative stress. Free Radic Biol Med 2001 Jul 1;31(1):53-61.
• 83: El Midaoui A, de Champlain J. Prevention of hypertension, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress by alpha-lipoic acid. Hypertension 2002 Feb;39(2):303-307.
• 84: Takaoka M, et al. Effects of alpha-lipoic acid on deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt-induced hypertension in rats. Eur J Pharmacol 2001 Jul;20;424(2):121-129.

• Chapter 30: The Combination of Antioxidant Supplements and Statin Drugs

Chapter Excerpts

The most significant risk factor for heart disease and stroke is not the level of LDL cholesterol, but the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, homocysteine and inflammation of arterial walls. If the oxidized LDL cholesterol, homocysteine and the C reactive protein had been measured in the study, the antioxidant use would most surely have shown a protective effect.

Do not be fooled by a study here or there that shows that "antioxidants are bad" because of the changes in cholesterol levels. It is only important to the pharmaceutical industry that wants to scare you from taking vitamins and minerals…

Chapter References

• 71: Brown B, Zhao X, Chait A, et al. Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease. N Engl J Med. 2001 345(22):1583-1592.
• 72: Collins R, Peto R, Armitage J. The MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study: preliminary results. Int J Clin Pract. 2002 56(1):53-56.
• 73: Manuel-Y-Keenoy B, Vinckx M, Vertommen J, et al. Impact of Vitamin E supplementation on lipoprotein peroxidation and composition in Type 1 diabetic patients treated with Atorvastatin. Atherosclerosis 2004 Aug; 175(2):369-76.

• Chapter 8: The True Cause of Heart Disease and Stroke

Chapter Excerpts

LDL cholesterol only becomes “bad” when it is damaged by oxidative free radicals. Only the damaged, or oxidized form of LDL cholesterol sticks to the arterial walls to initiate the formation of plaque.

The push is so strong by pharmaceutical companies to have doctors prescribe statin drugs, that without even a shred of evidence to support the benefits, diabetics with normal cholesterol levels are told to go on statin drugs “ just in case” they might be found to be helpful some day, and the consequences be damned!

Chapter References

• 2: Schroecksnadel K, et al. Crucial role of interferon-gamma and stimulated macrophages in cardiovascular disease. Curr Vasc Pharmacol. 2006 Jul;4(3):205-13.
• 3: Gibelin P, et al. Prognostic value of homocysteinemia in patients with congestive heart failure. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2006;44(7):813-6.
• 4: Van Oijen MG, et al. Hyperhomocysteinaemia and Vitamin B12 Deficiency: The Long-Term Effects in Cardiovascular Disease. Cardiology. 2006 Jun 6;107(1):57-62 [Epub ahead of print].
• 5: Haim M, et al. Serum Homocysteine and Long-Term Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Sudden Death in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease. Cardiology. 2006 Jun 6;107(1):52-56.
• 6: Laaksonen R, et al. High oxidized LDL and elevated plasma homocysteine contribute to the early reduction of myocardial flow reserve in healthy adults. Eur J Clin Invest. 2002 Nov;32(11):795-802.
• 7: Troughton JA, et al. Homocysteine and coronary heart disease risk in the PRIME study. Atherosclerosis. 2006 Jun 13; [Epub ahead of print].
• 8: Tsimikas, S, et al. Oxidized phospholipids, Lp(a) lipoprotein, and coronary artery disease. N Engl J Med. 2005 Jul 7;353(1):9-11.
• 9: Anselmi M, et al. Plasma levels of oxidized-low-density lipoproteins are higher in patients with unstable angina and correlated with angiographic coronary complex plaques. Atherosclerosis. 2006 Mar;185(1):114-20.