The Claire Byrne Show Your heart health and cholesterol
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Mar 25, 2026 Dr Paddy Barrett, a preventative cardiologist at Blackrock Clinic, discusses cholesterol, statins and lifestyle approaches to lower cardiovascular risk. He tackles social media myths, explains short versus lifetime benefits of treatment, and covers how to manage side effects and alternative LDL-lowering drugs. He also highlights the power of small, consistent lifestyle changes, especially sleep, for heart health.
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Social Media Fuels Misleading Cholesterol Claims
- Social media is driving a false narrative that cholesterol does not cause heart disease.
- Dr Paddy Barrett says convincing videos (even from cardiologists) mispresent short 4-year trial stats to claim no benefit.
Short Trials Understate Lifetime Benefits Of Cholesterol Treatment
- Time horizon changes perceived treatment benefit dramatically.
- Over four years you may need to treat ~100 low-risk people to prevent one heart attack, but over a lifetime it's ~4 people treated per heart attack prevented.
Weigh Long Term Heart Risk Against Medication Risk
- Weigh lifelong disease risk against medication risk when deciding on statins.
- Dr Paddy Barrett: the risk from heart disease is high while medication risks are small and manageable.