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Statins stimulate atherosclerosis and heart failure
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This is the surprising title of a recent study on statin drugs. How could this not raise eyebrows and cause us to question what we think we know about statin drugs? Cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to prevent heart attacks, are not as effective nor as safe as we have been led to believe, say Dr. David M. Diamond, a professor of psychology, molecular pharmacology and physiology at the University of South Florida, and Dr. Uffe Ravnskov, an independent health researcher and an expert in cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.
Their critique of the exaggerated claims regarding statins’ ability to prevent strokes, heart attacks and heart disease-related deaths on a large scale has been published in the medical journal Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology at informahealthcare. com. Here is the abstract from that study:
“In contrast to the current belief that cholesterol reduction with statins decreases atherosclerosis, we present a perspective that statins may be causative in coronary artery calcification and can function as mitochondrial toxins that impair muscle function in the heart and blood vessels through the depletion of coenzyme Q10 and ‘heme A’, and thereby ATP generation. Statins inhibit the synthesis of vitamin K2, the cofactor for matrix Gla-protein activation, which in turn protects arteries from calcification. Statins inhibit the biosynthesis of selenium containing proteins, one of which is glutathione peroxidase serving to suppress peroxidative stress. An impairment of selenoprotein biosynthesis may be a factor in congestive heart failure, reminiscent of the dilated cardiomyopathies seen with selenium deficiency. Thus, the epidemic of heart failure and atherosclerosis that plagues the modern world may paradoxically be aggravated by the pervasive use of statin drugs. We propose that current statin treatment guidelines be critically reevaluated.” CLICK HERE to go to the website.
The following review of the study comes from EurekAlert.com. The Global Source for Science News, Feb. 20, 2015. There is much more to this review and you should read the entire article. CLICK HERE to go to the article page on EurekaAlert.com.
“According to Diamond and Ravnskov, statins produce a dramatic reduction in cholesterol levels, but they have “failed to substantially improve cardiovascular outcomes.” They further state that the many studies touting the efficacy of statins have not only neglected to account for the numerous serious adverse side effects of the drugs, but supporters of statins have used what the authors refer to as “statistical deception” to make inflated claims about their effectiveness.
Their paper is an analysis of the data in the statin trials which led them to conclude that “statin advocates have used statistical deception to create the illusion that statins are ‘wonder drugs,’ when the reality is that their modest benefits are more than offset by their adverse effects.”
The paper also describes how the basis of the deception is in how authors of the statin studies present the rate of beneficial and adverse effects. The effect of the drugs on the population is called the ‘absolute risk,’ which has shown that statins benefit only about 1% of the population. This means that only one out of 100 people treated with a statin will have one less heart attack. Statin researchers, however, don’t present the 1% effect to the public. Instead they transform the 1% effect using another statistic, called the “relative risk,” which creates the appearance that statins benefit 30-50% of the population.” END of excerpt.
I have been telling my listeners about this lack of evidence for the safety and effectiveness of statin drugs for at least a decade. I have numerous interviews on this topic with experts in this field and I urge you to listen to these interviews. You will learn that statin drugs are not nearly as effective as you believe and you will also learn what are some of the truly effective things that you can do to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. You will learn how the pharmaceutical industry has systemically and methodically distorted the results of the research and have consistantly over-hyped the benefits and downplayed the risks. How does one have confidence in a drug industry that does this with such disregard for it’s patients?
In this episode, I will discuss some of the studies that convinced me that statin therapy is risky and not effective. I think you will be surprised if not shocked to learn what some of the past studies have revealed. This information has been out there, but how seldom do our doctors seem to care enough to look deeper into the claims for the drugs they are prescribing. Once you know this, then you have to decide what to do about it. How do you support your heart, arteries and brain nutritionally? How do you reduce your risk of cardiovascular disorders? The answer is to become informed and be proactive. There are many interviews here that will help you get started. Here are some links to those interviews.
- 002 – Metabolic Cardiology – Dr. Stephen Sinatra
- 003 – Metabolic Cardiology – My Opinion
- 016/017 – Aged Garlic Extract Improves Cardiovascular Health – Dr. Matthew Budoff
- 019 – What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know -Dr. Michael Murray
- 023 – Lowering Cholesterol with Red Yeast Rice
- 024 – The Benefits of Nattokinase – Dr. Ralph Holsworth
- 055 – Aged Garlic Extract Lowers Blood Pressure – Dr. Karin Ried
- 056 – The Importance of CoQ10 – Carl Germano
- 065 – The Great Cholesterol Myth – Dr. Stephen Sinatra
- 066 – Improve Cellular Energy with Ribose – Tom VonderBrink
- 068 – Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox – Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue
- 086 – What is the Best Form of CoQ10 and Why – Dr. Robert Barry
Here are a some well articulated articles on the science of statin drugs:
- Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good? – Bloomberg Business Week
- The Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven’t Been Told – Weston A. Price
The more you know, the better choices you can make. Better choices lead to better outcomes. It’s up to you to take responsibility and learn how to be healthier. If you have health issues, seek to nourish your body as you manage your disease.
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