A Statin-Free Life

Statins are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world. Yet many report serious side effects and a US survey revealed that 75 per cent of respondents stopped taking them within a year.

So what is the evidence for their benefits? Dr Aseem Malhotra, author of the bestselling The 21-Day Immunity Plan and co-author of the bestselling The Pioppi Diet, examines the claims for statins and their role in lowering cholesterol and preventing heart disease. He introduces us to his targeted heart-health plan, which, with a diet plan, recipes and advice on reducing stress and increasing movement, can help us to live statin-free and take control of our own health.

Dr Aseem Malhotra is an NHS-trained consultant cardiologist and visiting Professor of Evidence Based Medicine, Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Salvador, Brazil. He is a founding member of Action on Sugar. In 2015 he became the youngest member to be appointed to the board of trustees of UK health think tank The King's Fund, which advises the government on health policy.

He is a frequent expert commentator in print and broadcast media in the UK and internationally, having written for a wide range of publications such as the BMJ, British Journal of Sports Medicine, and European Scientist, and has had feature articles written about him in papers such as The New York Times, the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph.

He is a pioneer of the lifestyle medicine movement in the UK and in 2018 was ranked by software company Onalytica as the number 1 doctor in the world influencing obesity thinking.

Dr Malhotra's first book The Pioppi Diet, co-authored with Donal O'Neill, was an international bestseller and his most recent book, The 21-Day Immunity Plan, was also a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller.,