I couldn't resist adding one more tidbit after I re-read your post. It is clear that a lot of heart disease is driven by genetic factors, not just lifestyle. We really don't understand any of that very well.
In fact, as I understand it, nobody is really sure whether the primary benefit from statin drugs like Lipitor comes from their cholesterol lowering effect or whether it is something else. There is accumulating evidence that statin drugs improve cardiac outcomes even in people who do not have abnormal cholesterol levels. Sometimes it seems like the more we learn, the less we know.
We are in a similar situation with anti-depressants. We know that SSRI's affect depression but we really do not know for certain that they affect depression because of their effect on serotonin metabolism. Could there be something else going on? Quite possibly.
All of this highlights one remaining point about diet. What little we know about diet, weight loss and longevity comes mostly from extrapolation of short term data and studies on non-human species.
The thing that worries me the most about ALL of the current 'weight loss' diets and other dietary 'fads' is that we simply do not know enough about long term effects. How much does a low carbohydrate diet stress the kidneys? Do ultra low fat diets create long term problems? How do these diets affect immune function, cancer risk, aging and other processes? Nobody knows. The traditional advice may be passe but it may well be the best: Eat a variety of foods, do not over-indulge, and exercise regularly.

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