Ever since the publication of the long-delayed results of the Zetia/Vytorin trial a few weeks ago, the study which raised serious questions about whether lowering LDL does anything to prevent heart attack death, the media have been full of M.D.s pontificating on the importance of lowering LDL and the wonderfulness of statin drugs.
I've heard them on NPR. I've seen them on my local TV news channel. Clearly the drug industry spinmeisters have been hard at work sending out press releases.
On the local news channel tonight, a doctor insisted that you could lower cholesterol by not eating fat and not eating cholesterol, but if that didn't work, you should take a statin drug because statins were "proven" to prevent heart disease in people with "risk factors."
Those of you who are educated about nutrition know that the first two statements are just plain wrong and that the third statement is only true if by "risk factors" you mean, "being a male, under 65 and having already had a heart attack." The sample patient in the TV news story was a young, thin, fit man, shown exercising at the gym, who said he had just been told he had high cholesterol. The point of the brief news story seemed to be that people like him needed to take statins.
On the NPR health show, the featured doctor went so far as to say he thought just about everyone should be on statins starting in their 20s.
As you may know, the American Heart Association (a wholly owned subsidiary of Big Pharma and the Cereal Industry) rushed into print immediately after the release of the Zetia/Vytorin results telling a New York Times reporter that people should continue taking these drugs even though this major study make it clear that they are at best ineffectual and at worse may make arteries clog faster.
A follow up article in the New York Times pointed out that the AHA failed to disclose to the reporter the many millions of dollars it gets from makers of these drugs. The article also pointed that the AHA's web site links to a page advertising Vytorin using what looks like an informational link purporting to be about the sources of cholesterol. Clearly the American Heart Association is highly influenced by the people who give them money.
New York Times: Heart Group Backs Drug Made by Ally.
I expect to see a lot more of this kind of story in the media in days to come. You will too. When you do, take the time to contact the media outlet and explain to them how disappointed you were that they presented a drug company press release as if it were a news story rather than providing a balanced story investigating the growing weight of evidence casting doubt on the efficacy of statins for anyone who is not a male under 65 with a previous heart attack.
And if you haven't already, check out Businessweek's Cover Story about Statins: Lipitor: Does it Make a Difference. A reporter there actually did some research!
UPDATE: Jan 31
Today's variant on the spin is a AHA "wear red" assault on women's health, which urges women to get their cholesterol measured--and points them to a web site recommending "healthy" low fat/high carb diets. The photo on the AHA sponsored web site is of a big slice of pizza made with low fat cheese.
Here you can see how many newspapers published the AHA's press release as if it were news:
http://news.google.com/?ncl=1126994144&hl=en&topic=m
Did ANYONE reporting on the health industry notice the huge and very well conducted Women's Health Initiative study (WHI) proved conclusively that low fat dieting DOES NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT ON WOMEN'S HEART DISEASE?
Obviously not. Junk food empires Campbells and Kelloggs are listed as sponsors of this AHA program but the top sponsor is Merck, makers of Vytorin and Zocor.
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