Cholesterol 'not bad guy'

A study by epidemiology experts at John Hopkins University and published in the journal Circulation shows that heart attacks are the leading cause of death in diabetics. Researchers noted that people with diabetes may have low cholesterol and therefore the widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs do not work to prevent heart attacks.

This study echoes the theory proposed by the controversial sports scientist Tim Noakes, who disagrees with the widespread use of statins as he claims the cholesterol theory of heart disease is questionable. But leading endocrinologist and Wits Professor Derick Raal said people at risk of heart disease must still take cholesterol-lowering drugs. He said statins were still remarkable drugs and many patients had benefitted immensely from them over the past 30 years. Raal said international and local guidelines said diabetics must be on statins, regardless of their cholesterol levels, as they were at high risk of heart disease.

UCT clinical lipidologist Dirk Blom said there were many risk factors for a heart attack and diabetes was only one. High cholesterol was another, as was obesity, high blood pressure and smoking. He said one looked at all the risk factors when deciding whether to treat people but people who were at risk must be treated, usually with statins.

Katharine Child: The Times, 12 September 2014