Statin drugs (Crestor, Lipitor, etc.) are widely promoted, not for the benefit of patients, but to support
the financial interests of the pharmaceutical industry. They are even
being prescribed for children. These drugs can be dangerous. And newer studies indicate that, with regard to preventing cardiovascular disease, they don't
work!*
The goal in medical settings these
days is to get so called "bad cholesterol" (in LDL) as low as possible. Standards
for normal levels have been artificially lowered by the drug companies
who dictate to doctors.
There is no such
thing as bad cholesterol, except when it's oxidized. Cholesterol is
cholesterol whether it is carried in the LDL's or HDL's. ( The findings
of low HDL's and high levels of small particle LDL's may have
significance with regard to heart disease, but is a separate topic and not treatable by statins.). Cholesterol is necessary for health. It is a component of cell
membranes, steroid hormones, bile acids, vitamin D and myelin. It
participates in the immune system. It is normal and desirable for
levels to moderately increase as we age.
Extremely high cholesterol levels
can be indicative of a rare genetic variant called familial
hypercholesterolemia, which is found in about 1 out of 500 people, and is not the focus of this post. Very high serum cholesterol is most commonly a sign of inflammation somewhere in the cardiovascular system. When there is inflammation in the cardiovascular system, cholesterol is
one of several components sent by the body to help repair the damage.
This can be life-saving in the short term, but unfortunately, when the
calcified, cholesterol-containing "plaque patch" sticks around a while
it can oxidize, igniting a free radical chain reaction. An old, calcified plaque patch can eventually break
off, leading to a stroke or a heart attack.
The
way to prevent a stroke or heart attack is not to reduce cholesterol
but to address the cause of very high levels. Otherwise, damage in the
arteries proceeds unchecked. Plaque formation may be reduced but the
blood vessel continues to deteriorate. To make matters worse - statins have recently been shown to increase calcification within the blood vessels.
Statin
drugs not only don't solve the cause of cardiovascular damage, but the
drugs directly damage the muscles, kidneys, liver, heart, lens of the
eye, nervous system (including the brain) and endocrine systems. The association with increased calcification of the arteries may be involved with the dementia often seen as a side effect.. They
obliterate the body's synthesis of a very important vitamin-like
chemical called Coenzyme Q-10. This is detrimental, especially for the
heart, even with supplementation. Supplements
cannot really compensate for wiping out the body's own supply.
In
addition to the damage that statins can cause directly, reducing
cholesterol levels too much throughout the body is unhealthy, and
associated with reduced immunity, cancer, hormonal issues, neuropathies,
dementia, and more. The standards of "normal" have been manipulated by
the pharmaceutical industry so that they can get everyone on statins.
Extremely
high LDL-C levels, especially when concurrent with low HDL's, are
a symptom, not a direct cause, of a situation in the body that needs to
be addressed by lifestyle, food intake and exercise. Getting the
"numbers" down may seem like a victory as far as the doctor is
concerned, but addressing a symptom only masks a bigger problem and is
not the same as eliminating a disease process.
That
is why statin drugs have not been shown, by any well designed and
properly analyzed study, to improve cardiovascular health in the long
term, nor reduce the rate of death from cardiovascular disease.
*This
post is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your
personal physician if you are concerned about your condition.
Golumb BA,Evans MA. Statin adverse effects : a review of the literature and evidence for a mitochondrial mechanism.American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs.2008
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