Statin Drugs The annual number of statin drug prescriptions increased from 461 million to 818 million between 2008 and 2019, 28.6 million prescriptions in the US alone. Statins are the most prescribed class of drugs worldwide. Before we examine nutrient depletion caused by the drug class of statins, let’s first understand the role cholesterol plays in the body. Cholesterol Cholesterol is an essential lipid (fat) in the body. • Cholesterol is the foundation for making all of your steroidal hormones. Progesterone, Estrogen, androgens like testosterone, glucocorticoids made in the adrenal gland, and mineralocorticoids like aldosterone made in the adrenal gland. • Your brain is made up of 60% fat. 20% of the fat in the brain is cholesterol. • Myelin, the fatty insulating layer around nerve fibers, contains a high proportion of cholesterol. • Cholesterol is a crucial structural component of cell membranes, helping to maintain their integrity and regulate what enters and leaves the cell. • Cholesterol is used to produce bile salts in the liver, which are essential for digesting fats and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins like D, A, E, and K. • Cholesterol is involved in the actual production of vitamin D. Pretty important stuff!! So why is cholesterol vilified and made out to be the enemy? | |
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The Cholesterol Theory The general theory is that if you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can result in plaque buildup on the artery walls, which can lead to the narrowing or hardening of your arteries. This increases the risk of blood clots, heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke. By reducing cholesterol production, the idea is that statins lower the chance of plaque buildup, and consequently, blood clots, heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke. But is this theory true, and does reducing cholesterol production save lives? There is a difference between relative risk and absolute risk. Drug A can reduce your risk of developing a condition by 0.5 percent. That’s your absolute risk. On the other hand, Drug B can decrease your risk by bringing it down from 0.5 to 0.25 percent. How do you report this? There are two ways to go about this. • Your relative risk was lowered by 50 percent from 0.5 to 0.25 percent when using Drug B. • Or you can report the absolute risk, which means that Drug B only lowered the risk by a mere 0.25 percent. Reporting the relative risk sounds much more impressive and can inflate the benefits of a medication or other treatment. This is what happened with statin drug studies as well. A 2017 meta-analysis published in The Lancet looked at 26 randomized trials. (1) They found that statin drugs can decrease mortality by 10 percent for every 39 mg/dL. However, if you look at the trials closer, the mortality rates went from 2.3 to 2.1 percent for every 39 mg/dL, resulting in only a 0.2 percent absolute risk reduction. Looking at vascular-related death, statin drugs only decreased death from 1.3 to 1.2 percent. Is that much of a percentage worth the risk and side-effects of taking a statin drug when there are SO many other options for lowering cholesterol? | |
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Statin Drug Side-Effects It’s important that you know the “benefits vs risk” with any drug you are taking. I will list some of the possible side effects of taking a statin and also help you to understand the possible long-term problems that can develop. If you would like to do further research, I highly recommend two books: • The Paleo Cardiologist, Jack Wolfson M.D., Cardiologist • The Great Cholesterol Myth, Jonny Bowden PhD, Stephen Sinatra M.D. Side Effects May Include • Lowered CoQ10 – Coenzyme Q10 plays an important role in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and deficiency may result in mitochondrial dysfunction. • Muscle weakness and tenderness. More serious side effects can be Myositis or muscle inflammation. • Rhabdomyolysis, which is a serious medical condition where damaged muscle tissue releases its contents, including myoglobin, into the bloodstream • Constipation/diarrhea • Acid reflux • High blood sugar levels • Difficulty sleeping • Low platelet levels • Dizziness • Face flushing, rashes, and infections • Lowered steroidal hormones • Erectile dysfunction and/or low sex drive • Higher risk for Alzheimer’s • Neuropathy | |
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But My Doctor Said…. “You need to take a statin to lower your risk of heart disease.” I’m always telling my clients to get “deeper labs” to really see what is going on in the cardiovascular system. Our standard “lipid panel” just isn’t enough. There are so many other labs that give you a better look into cholesterol particle size and inflammation markers. Of course, you also want to pay attention to triglyceride and homocysteine levels as well as fasting blood glucose and A1C levels, which all play a role in cardiovascular health. Stay tuned for my next newsletter that gives natural solutions for high cholesterol and which labs to ask for! In health, Chris Mckee Certified Nutritionist at Achieve Integrative Health |
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