Malcolm Kendrick

Malcolm Kendrick is a Scottish doctor and author of The Great Cholesterol Con (2008). He graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 1981, has been a general practitioner for over 25 years, and has worked with the European Society of Cardiology.^[1]

The Great Cholesterol Con^[2] documents what the author perceived as the misguided use of statins in primary care. He cites evidence from many trials and World Health Organisation data to show that statins do not increase life expectancy overall, and do not prevent heart disease in patients without cardiovascular symptoms. The book states that widely varying levels of cholesterol are inversely correlated with deaths from heart disease, and correlated with cancer mortality. His findings show that within a reasonable range, higher total cholesterol is associated with lower cancer mortality, but lower rates of deaths from heart disease—the opposite outcome that one would expect if cholesterol were a causative agent for coronary heart disease.^[1]

A summary of his thesis can be found on the Health Answers website.^[3]

Works

• The Great Cholesterol Con. John Blake, 2008.
• Contributed to Panic Nation : unpicking the myths we're told about food and health. John Blake, 2006

Notes