ABSTRACT
The Diet-Heart Hypothesis holds that saturated fat in the diet and, in some versions of the hypothesis, dietary cholesterol are major contributors to heart disease. This chapter presents statin therapy, which is widely considered first-line therapy for high cholesterol. Depression runs much higher in people with low cholesterol. Statins lower circulating lipoproteins, but they have multiple pleotropic and antiatherogenic effects as well. Statins are potent pleotropic agents and work in several mechanisms in reducing cardiac risk including antioxidant status, plaque stabilization, reduction in C-reactive protein levels, reduction in inflammation, as well as having a favorable impact on blood and plasma viscosity. Although the use of statins in men and some women with proven coronary artery disease is good medicine, standards, guidelines, and algorithms, will only cause a rush to judgment and overtreat many low-risk people who will not benefit from statins and be vulnerable to side effects at the same time.
