Another warning is that statins deplete the body's CoQ10 reserves, which is obviously never mentioned by official medicine. However, it is important to be aware that this nutritional deficiency can severely impair cardiac function.

Indeed, coenzyme Q10 is an essential energy fuel for mitochondria and is transported by the same transporters that fix bad cholesterol and whose action statins aim at reducing the number and efficiency. This loss of cellular energy and the increase in free radicals can go as far as damaging the cells' DNA.

Remember that if you want to take CoQ10 as a preventive dietary supplement, it is better to use it in its reduced form, which is called ubiquinol and is much more effective.

At present, we see that most people who are on statins do not really need this treatment, but that consumption is driven by powerful marketing and by the pharmaceutical industry lobby.

Only one group is likely to benefit from this type of medication, and that is people with a genetic disorder called familial hypercholesterolemia.

Unless your cholesterol level is 330 or higher, there is no reason to take statins because cholesterol is not the primary cause of heart disease.

There are people with cholesterol levels above 250 HDL who are not really at risk for heart disease, while others have levels below 200 and are at very high risk. What is important in this issue are the LDL/HDL ratios and the triglyceride/HDL ratios. The percentage of LDL (bad cholesterol) is a real risk factor if it is too high, but conversely, the HDL level should not be too low. Taking into account this ratio between 2 types of cholesterol, the percentage should ideally be above 24%. Below 10%, this becomes a significant indicator of risk for heart disease. You can also do the same with your triglyceride level and HDL ratio, in which case the percentage should be below 2.

To optimize your health and reduce your cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as your cardiac risk factors, here are a few simple tips with no side effects:

• Normalize your insulin levels by eliminating sugars, especially refined and fast sugars,
• Choose high quality oils such as krill oil (a small shrimp from the cold waters of Antarctica), which is generally a little lower in omega-3 fatty acids than commercially available fish oils. Krill contains 75 mg of EPA and 45 mg of DHA per 500 mg capsule, compared to the often 90 mg of EPA and 60 mg of DHA in fish oils. Krill oil also contains about 40% of phospholipids and antioxidants whose activity would be much higher than that of fish oils.

You can also choose flaxseed oil or perilla oil, both of which are very rich in omega-3.

• Be sure to do gentle, endurance exercise almost every day.
• - Eat the healthiest and most natural foods possible (organic origin), and as many raw vegetables as possible.
• - If you are over 40, you should check your iron levels, as too much iron can damage the lining of blood vessels, the heart and other organs. Excess iron increases the risk of cancer.
• Manage your thoughts and emotions and make sure you do positive outings and activities to relax.
• Moderate your consumption of alcohol, sodas and other exciting drinks.
• If you still have high cholesterol levels, there are some very good natural food supplements, such as those based on red yeast rice, which can quickly balance cholesterol levels and are free of side effects. (Colmin + for example)