History of the cholesterol hypothesis in Britain.

Sir, ‘ The statins trials resolved the controversy ’1 is an error of scientific thought, and it is sad that so many respected clinical scientists such as Prof. G.R. Thompson fail to appreciate this. Yes, there has been a controversy concerning cholesterol, which is clearly a risk indicator, not for just coronary heart disease (CHD) but for all deaths, but only in men of working age.2,3 We know from Framingham studies that cholesterol is neutral in women and older men4 and we know from other studies that a high blood cholesterol is a survival advantage in elderly people.5,6 The question following the MRFIT2 and Whitehall3 studies is whether the elevated level of cholesterol is a risk indicator on a causative pathway or whether it is a reflection of existing sub-clinical CHD. Subsequent studies have shown that it matches the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein …