ARE STATINS SAFE?
FLASH - important update
October 2013.
A new study published in JAMA Ophthalmology reveals that the cholesterol-lowering statins are significantly increasing the risk of cataracts. Findings published in Optometry and Vision Science, reveal that statin drugs users have a 48% higher risk of pathological eye lens changes commonly associated with cataract formation.
A new study published in JAMA Ophthalmology reveals that the cholesterol-lowering statins are significantly increasing the risk of cataracts. Findings published in Optometry and Vision Science, reveal that statin drugs users have a 48% higher risk of pathological eye lens changes commonly associated with cataract formation.
Reprinted from the February 2010 Newsletter of the McCarrison Society for Nutrition & Health
When a new drug comes on the market there has to be a strong element of trust and certainty that all the necessary tests have been rigorously made before the drug is launched, but pharmaceutical companies have become so powerful that they now make their own rules.
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DRUG COMPANIES CONTROL TEST RESULTS
Dr.Marcia Angell, one time Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, writes, ‘It used to be that drug companies simply gave grants to academic medical centres for the use of their clinical researchers to do a study and that was it. It was at arm’s length. The researcher did a study and he or she published the results, whatever those results would be. Now, it’s very, very different. The drug companies increasingly design the studies. They keep the data. They don’t even let the researchers see the data. They analyse the data, they decide whether they are going to even publish the data at the end of it. They sign contracts with researchers and with academic medical centres saying that they don’t get to publish their work unless they get permission from the drug company. So, you can see that the distortion starts even before publication. It starts in determining what’s going to be published and what isn’t going to be published. This is no longer arm’s length. It’s treating the researchers and the academic medical centres as though they were hired guns or technicians or something. They just do the work. And the drug company will decide what the data show, what the conclusions are and whether it will even be published.’ Statins have been presented as a safe, universal panacea with no side effects worth mentioning. According to Dr Malcolm Kendrick, author of ‘The Great Cholesterol Con’, taking a statin is now viewed among doctors as being akin to taking a multivitamin pill or a low-dose aspirin. CHOLESTEROL VITAL FOR BODY FUNCTION Statins are essentially cholesterol-lowering drugs, but it is debatable whether a low level of cholesterol is ideal for good health. Cholesterol is in every cell of the body and so much is needed for proper body function that it would be impossible to eat enough of it in your diet to satisfy your daily cholesterol needs. To meet this gap the liver manufactures four or five times as much cholesterol as you ingest. The liver adjusts the level in relation to the amount of cholesterol that you eat, so if you ingest high levels of cholesterol then the liver produces less to compensate. Cholesterol is needed in the body for: Brain synapses. The vital connections between nerve cells in the brain, and elsewhere, are made almost entirely of cholesterol. It is essential for proper neurological function and plays a key role in the formation of memory and the uptake of hormones in the brain, including serotonin, the body’s feel-good chemical. Vitamin D. A very important vitamin, not only needed to create healthy bones, but now known to be protective against a number of cancers. Vitamin D is synthesized from cholesterol by the action of sunlight on the skin. Cell membranes. All cells in the body need cholesterol in their cell membranes. Without it they would disintegrate, as cholesterol provides structural integrity. Sex hormones. Cholesterol is a building block for most sex hormones. Bile. Cholesterol is a key component of bile salts, which are released from the gall bladder to help with food digestion, especially fats. Repair. Cholesterol is the body’s repair substance: scar tissue contains high levels of cholesterol. MYTH OF SATURATED FAT/HEART DISEASE One of the myths surrounding cholesterol is that it somehow builds up in the arteries as a result of consuming saturated fat in the diet. As Dr.Kendrick explains it is almost impossible to turn fat, saturated or unsaturated into cholesterol as cholesterol is largely made up of phosphorous, nitrogen and sulphur and none of those elements are found in fats, they are found in proteins. Cholesterol has several ring structures, again none of which are found in fats, so eating saturated fat cannot possibly have an impact on the production of cholesterol. This myth could stem from the mental picture that people have constructed in their minds of an artery lined with congealed fat as if it were a kitchen drainpipe. Nothing could be further from the truth. It transpires that, in general, low cholesterol levels are actually much more dangerous than high levels, in fact the older you get the more dangerous it is to have a low level. Indeed, a falling or low level cholesterol is a sign of underlying disease, thus it is not the low level that may kill you but the underlying disease. DANGERS OF TOO LOW CHOLESTEROL LEVELS A large, long-lasting study that looked specifically at cholesterol and mortality in older people after the age of 50 was carried out in Honolulu and published in the Lancet in August 2001. “Our data accord with previous findings of increased mortality in elderly people with low serum cholesterol, and show that long term persistence of low cholesterol concentration actually increases the risk of death. Thus the earlier that patients start to have lower cholesterol concentrations, the greater the risk of death.” Their interpretation of these results was: “We have been unable to explain our results. These data cast doubt on the scientific justification for lowering cholesterol to very low concentrations.” An even bigger study was carried out in Austria and lasted 15 years. It looked at nearly 70,000 men and more than 80,000 women ranging from 20 to 95 years of age who underwent, between them, more than 450,000 examinations. The study which was published in the Journal of Women’s Health, confirmed the findings in Honolulu. “In men, across the entire age range…and in women from the age of 50 onward only, low cholesterol was significantly associated with all-cause mortality, showing significant associations with death through cancer, liver diseases and mental diseases.” SIDE EFFECTS Statins are reputed to be one of the best selling pharmaceuticals of all time. The industry mounted an incredible promotional campaign, enlisting scientists, advertising agencies, the media and the medical profession. 16 million Americans now take Lipitor, the most popular statin, and about 6 million Britons take statins. However, what bedevils the industry is growing reports of side effects that manifest themselves many months after the beginning of therapy. The most common side effect is muscle pain and weakness. One study found that 98% of patients taking Lipitor and one third of patients taking Mevachor (a lower dose statin) suffered from muscle problems. Dizziness is also commonly associated with statin use. Many people found that these complaints disappeared when they stopped taking statins. One of the most worrying side effects is memory loss. While the pharmaceutical industry denies that statins can cause amnesia, memory loss has shown up in several statin trials as well as confusion and disorientation. Numerous studies have linked low cholesterol with depression and anxiety, especially among women, whereas previous studies on men found that those who lowered their cholesterol levels with medication often suffered from aggression and increased rates of suicide and violent death. Low cholesterol levels lead to low serotonin levels in the brain and low serotonin is one of the key brain abnormalities involved in depression. |
RISK OF NERVE DAMAGE
Polyneuropathy is yet another problem associated with statins. It is characterized by weakness, tingling and pain in the hands and feet as well as difficulty in walking. Researchers who studied 500,000 residents in Denmark, about 9% of their population, found that people who took statins were more likely to develop Polyneuropathy. Taking statins for one year raised the risk of nerve damage by about 15%, about one case for every 2,200 patients, but for those who took statins for two or more years, the additional risk rose to 26%. RISKS FOR YOUNGER WOMEN For anyone thinking of embarking on this form of drug treatment, a great deal depends on whether you are male or female because it has been found that women of child-bearing age face a considerable risk. Now that statins can be purchased over the counter without prescription, sooner or later a pregnant woman, very possibly before she even knows she is pregnant, is going to take statins without realising that they can severely affect her unborn child. In fact it has already happened. In April 2004 an article in The New England Journal of Medicine entitled, ‘Central nervous system and limb anomalies in case reports of first-trimester statin exposure’, stated that out of 52 confirmed cases there were 20 reports of malformation, including severe defects of the nervous system, unilateral limb deficiencies and complex lower limb abnormalities, to name but a few. These were similar to defects found with thalidomide, only worse. The idea that statins should be put in drinking water, as was once proposed, is totally irresponsible. CANCER IN ANIMAL TESTS There are other more disturbing facts that have come to light and these are firstly, that statins cause cancer in animals and secondly, that there is some evidence that cancer deaths are increased in the statin trials, especially in those who are ‘hyper-responders’ to statins. A low cholesterol level is associated with a high risk of death from cancer, but it can take many, many years for cancer-causing agents to reveal themselves. To summarize. On the positive side, according to Dr. Kendrick,
On the less positive side:
COST TO THE N.H.S. Dr. Kendrick is convinced that there is a complete lack of any benefit for the vast majority of the population but the cost to the National Health Service budget is nothing short of disastrous. Currently, statins are the most expensive single item of drug expenditure. Statins already cost the NHS over £1 billion per year. That does not include the additional costs of the yearly cholesterol tests, the six monthly review by a G.P or nurse, and the payment to GPs for getting blood cholesterol down through the Quality Outcome Framework system. Dr. Kendrick estimates that these additional costs for the several million people who are supposed to be currently taking statins, would add up to another £1 billion, making a total estimate of £2 billion. DEPLETION OF ESSENTIAL ENZYME Heart drugs which are reported to save thousands of lives every year in the UK have been attacked by a scientist who says they may actually cause heart failure. Dr.Peter Langsjoen, from East Texas Medical Centre, carried out research and found that statins may deplete the body’s supplies of another chemical which keeps the heart healthy. Co-enzyme Q10, according to the study, is needed to prevent heart failure. In his paper ‘Statin Induced Cardiomyopathy’, Peter Langsjoen directed his primary attention to the effect of statins on cardiac muscle performance. In the final paragraph of this report he states, "Statin-induced CoQ10 depletion is the topic of a recent petition to the Food and Drug Administration requesting that this drug / nutrient interaction be identified in a black box warning as part of statin package insert information. A comprehensive review of animal and human trials addressing this issue has been submitted to the FDA as a supporting document. We, of course, do not expect any response from the FDA, but 10 years from now when the full extent of statin toxicity becomes painfully evident, at least we can in good conscience, know that we tried and who knows, sometimes small sparks may spread in dry grass." PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE Preventative medicine is an excellent concept, but not if it means prescribing costly drugs to people who are otherwise perfectly healthy and have no symptoms. By far the better approach is to persuade people who may be at risk to change their lifestyle to one that is healthier. Sir Robert McCarrison’s simple message has not altered. He was convinced that nutrition was of supreme importance in the promotion of health and the prevention of disease. Surgeon Capt. T.L.Cleave refers to the unsophisticated foods of Nature, that is, foods that are unprocessed. He recommended that providing you avoid foods containing white flour and white or brown sugar which, he warned, are exceedingly dangerous, you can and should eat whatever you like, such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, butter and any fruit and vegetable. He maintained that it is health above all, that governs happiness. WILL EXISTING PATIENTS SUFFER? A question that has to be asked is whether the National Health Service can afford such a huge extra burden on its finances without compromising the care and treatment of patients who are already ill. Before embarking on any drug treatment it would be wise, especially if you are healthy and feel well, to think carefully. All drugs carry with them inevitable side effects and once you begin to take them you step onto a treadmill which in itself can be stressful and stress is the very thing you need to avoid as this can pave the way to heart disease. * * * * * * |
Dr. Uffe Ravnskov, author of ‘The Cholesterol Myths’, echoes much of what Dr. Kendrick has written. In his book he mentions the New Guidelines published on May 16th 2001 by an expert panel from the National Cholesterol Education Program for ‘The Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol’. However, it transpires that most of the authors of the guidelines are, like almost all cholesterol researchers, supported financially by the drug companies. A long list, given by themselves to the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed some interesting financial disclosures by doctors who had received honoraria, grants and/or research support from leading pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Pfizer, Kos Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sankyo, Schering Plough and Bayer, to name but a few.
Dr. Paul J. Rosch who is well known both in America and internationally, has written extensively over the past forty-five years on the role of stress in health and illness, with particular reference to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Professor Rosch has also published several articles about the cholesterol hypothesis and the supposed link between saturated fat and heart disease. He concludes:
“A massive crusade has been conceived to "lower your cholesterol count" by rigidly restricting dietary fat, coupled with aggressive drug treatment. Much of the impetus for this comes from speculation, rather than any solid scientific proof.
The result is well-known, says Professor Rosch: The public is so brainwashed, that many people believe that the lower your cholesterol, the healthier you will be or the longer you will live. Nothing could be further from the truth.
How can this go on year after year? Professor Rosch has several explanations: The cholesterol cartel of drug companies, manufacturers of low-fat foods, blood-testing devices and others with huge vested financial interests have waged a highly successful promotional campaign. Their power is so great that they have infiltrated medical and governmental regulatory agencies that would normally protect us from such unsubstantiated dogma.
Professor Rosch reminds us that practicing physicians get most of their information from the drug companies. But, compared to their peers a half century ago, most doctors don't have the time or skills to critically evaluate reports, very few know anything about research, nor did the generation that taught them."
George Mann, Professor in Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, now retired, said that the diet/heart theory is the greatest scientific deception of our times. Asked why so many scientists unquestioningly accept the diet/heart idea he replied “Fearing to lose their soft money funding, the academicians who should speak up and stop this wasteful anti-science are strangely quiet. Their silence has delayed a solution for coronary heart disease by a generation”.
Dr. Uffe Ravnskov, author of ‘The Cholesterol Myths’, echoes much of what Dr. Kendrick has written. In his book he mentions the New Guidelines published on May 16th 2001 by an expert panel from the National Cholesterol Education Program for ‘The Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol’. However, it transpires that most of the authors of the guidelines are, like almost all cholesterol researchers, supported financially by the drug companies. A long list, given by themselves to the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed some interesting financial disclosures by doctors who had received honoraria, grants and/or research support from leading pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Pfizer, Kos Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sankyo, Schering Plough and Bayer, to name but a few.
Dr. Paul J. Rosch who is well known both in America and internationally, has written extensively over the past forty-five years on the role of stress in health and illness, with particular reference to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Professor Rosch has also published several articles about the cholesterol hypothesis and the supposed link between saturated fat and heart disease. He concludes:
“A massive crusade has been conceived to "lower your cholesterol count" by rigidly restricting dietary fat, coupled with aggressive drug treatment. Much of the impetus for this comes from speculation, rather than any solid scientific proof.
The result is well-known, says Professor Rosch: The public is so brainwashed, that many people believe that the lower your cholesterol, the healthier you will be or the longer you will live. Nothing could be further from the truth.
How can this go on year after year? Professor Rosch has several explanations: The cholesterol cartel of drug companies, manufacturers of low-fat foods, blood-testing devices and others with huge vested financial interests have waged a highly successful promotional campaign. Their power is so great that they have infiltrated medical and governmental regulatory agencies that would normally protect us from such unsubstantiated dogma.
Professor Rosch reminds us that practicing physicians get most of their information from the drug companies. But, compared to their peers a half century ago, most doctors don't have the time or skills to critically evaluate reports, very few know anything about research, nor did the generation that taught them."
George Mann, Professor in Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, now retired, said that the diet/heart theory is the greatest scientific deception of our times. Asked why so many scientists unquestioningly accept the diet/heart idea he replied “Fearing to lose their soft money funding, the academicians who should speak up and stop this wasteful anti-science are strangely quiet. Their silence has delayed a solution for coronary heart disease by a generation”.
