Heart-smart Dieting 101

I am 42 years old, and I have total cholesterol that naturally hovers up around 270. It’s been that way for years. And I’m confident that it has little or nothing to do with my diet. I say that because about five years ago, I went three months without eating any fat of any kind (really), and my score only fell by about 6 points. I’m just one of the lucky millions with high cholesterol (thanks, Mom).

So this summer, following my annual checkup, my doctor (whom I really like) said it’s probably time to jump on the Lipitor, a drug scientifically known as a “statin.” He said take an 80 milligram pill once a week. I did, and my 270 dropped to 230. When he saw the results, my doc said 230 was OK, but we should shoot for lower. So we went to two 80s a week, and, voila, I’m down to around 200. Problem solved. But in the several months I’ve been on the drug, I’ve noticed several changes. The two I’ll mention are that I’ve fought an almost full-time headache, and I’ve had to go through my house swapping all the 60-watt bulbs for 100-watters, just so I can see clearly across the room. I finally jumped on the Net to see if the pills might have something to do with my symptoms.

Sure enough, I found my way to a University of California-San Diego study that spoke straight to much of what I was dealing with. Without boring you with too many details, I’ll give you the reasons I’ve decided to stop taking the best-selling prescription drug in the world and cut into Pfizer’s more than $6 billion in yearly sales. First, no matter how good it is, I just don’t like the idea of taking a pill for the rest of my days. Second, what I perceived to be the side effects were getting me down. Third, according to my reading of the UCSD study, given that I don’t smoke and I don’t have high blood pressure or diabetes, while there is some proof that the statin drug will lower my risk of death from heart disease, there is no proof that my life will be extended by taking the drug. And that’s really the point, isn’t it?

The good news from the UCSD study is we can do plenty of things that will help protect us from heart and other disease without taking a statin and without otherwise lowering our cholesterol. The first, of course, is regular cardiovascular exercise. If you exercise, you’re protecting yourself from heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer and depression. Even with good insurance, my Lipitor prescription cost me about the same as my monthly gym membership. And the gym membership comes with a sauna and free towels. On the food front, the news could hardly be better.

My favorite news is that, as you’ve probably heard, eating fatty fish (salmon, tuna, cod, etc.) a couple of times a week is really good for your heart health. Check this amazing fact: According to the UCSD study (relying in part on other studies), for men who already had heart disease, eating fish a couple of times a week lowered overall mortality by 30 percent, the very same result achieved by taking statin drugs. More interesting, a low-fat, cholesterol-lowering diet did nothing to lower overall mortality in the same group of men. In addition to fish, the study says, pack in as much fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains and garlic as you can, remember to use olive oil as your oil of choice and, apart from that, eat widely and happily.

Also don’t forget that moderate use of some forms of alcohol can be part of a heart-healthy diet. I understand that high cholesterol is a significant concern. And please don’t take medical advice from me. If you and your doctor choose to use a statin drug to treat high cholesterol, good luck to you. As for me, at least for now, I’m going to let my cholesterol stay high and use that as motivation to keep exercising and continue eating a heart-smart but otherwise far-flung, entertaining diet.

By James Richardson