His daughter calls him a “manorexic.”

And he exercises hard. But still he takes a drug to lower his cholesterol. So, like thousands of Albertans, James Stone -that’s U of C cardiologist Dr. James Stone – fits right into an Albertan trend.

Consider: The No. 1 drug billed to the Alberta government is cholesterol-lowering Lipitor, and thousands more buy it privately. In fact, Lipitor is the bestselling drug of all time.

What does this say about us?

“We didn’t traditionally have much access to food, and had to work very hard to get it. Now, we have tremendous access, don’t have to work hard,” says Stone, 57.

“Research over 15 years shows that the lower your cholesterol levels, the better you do from a cardiovascular standpoint,” Stone says. Cholesterol is blood fat linked to heart attack and stroke.

In Alberta, we spend $20 million annually covering Lipitor for seniors, widows and others who qualify for aid. Indeed, a Lipitor TV ad shows the most handsome middle-aged man on the planet, walking his dog in a forest. If he can’t get his cholesterol in check, how can mere mortals?

Stone believes diet and exercise often don’t bring enough change.

“Sometimes we need to treat people aggressively,” Stone says. He thinks cholesterol drugs are worth the cost and side-effects. Disclaimer: He once consulted for Lipitor.

At 50, Stone began to eat less and exercise. It took seven years to make changes. That’s why he thinks early prevention is key.

We’re part of a tough trend, though. At birth our cholesterol is low, but in adulthood it rises two to three times that of non-Westernized populations. So the medically OK cholesterol level has been reset upwards, Stone says. He wants his patients to aim lower.

Sure, the Alberta Health and Stroke Foundation has good prevention efforts.

There’s Heart Check-vetted grocery foods and menu items at restaurants like Husky House.
You can email a much-loved fatty recipe and have it remade by AHSF experts.

Alberta’s Healthy U site has excellent recipes and cooking videos.

But try as we might, the message behind Alberta’s drug costs points to a simple, stubborn equation.

Too much food in, not enough work out. Calgarians, we’re not mavericks, just Lipitor-ites in waiting.