By Christopher Piercecchi, MD — Physician and Wellness Manager, Founder, The Men’s Clinic for Wellness & Vitality
SITREP is an evidence-review briefing for patients and colleagues of The Men’s Clinic for Wellness & Vitality. It is educational and does not constitute individualized medical advice.
Three physicians recently sat down on YouTube to discuss the new American cholesterol guidelines. Two are primary care physicians, and one is a cardiologist, which makes some of what follows even more remarkable. Their video is literally titled We Are SHOCKED: New CHOLESTEROL Guidelines Are Very CONCERNING, and they open the discussion by announcing that they are “shocked and somewhat horrified” by the new recommendations from the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the other medical organizations involved. [1]
“Shocked and horrified” is fairly dramatic language. If three physicians, including a cardiologist, are going to tell the public that major cardiovascular organizations have gotten cholesterol fundamentally wrong, I would expect them to follow that statement with extraordinary evidence.
That is not what happens.
Instead, much of the discussion consists of phrases such as “I believe,” “I worry,” “I see in my practice,” and “in my experience.” The cardiologist actually says that he does not believe cholesterol is really the driver of heart disease and suggests that inflammation is the real problem, with cholesterol acting only as “fuel.” Later, the group assures viewers that their concerns are “all backed up with solid research.” [1]
No. Several of their central claims are not backed up by solid research. Some begin with facts that are partly or entirely true, but the conclusions they draw from those facts are exaggerated, misleading, or directly contradicted by better evidence.
Medicine is supposed to be science. A medical degree does not transform an opinion into data. If you want to overturn one of the most heavily studied areas of cardiovascular medicine, show the evidence.
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