(Newswire.net — November 13, 2013) Portland, OR — This new guideline, that according to the National Cardiovascular Association, will have 40% more Americans eligible to be put on statin drugs to lower cholesterol.
Eligible? Would anyone really strive to qualify to be put on a drug?
Statins lower cholesterol in the blood by blocking the enzyme in your liver that is responsible for making cholesterol. But they don’t do it without side effects. It seems that cholesterol actually plays a part in good health, as does the other functions of that enzyme they are blocking. The side effects range from muscle weakness (and remember that the heart is a muscle) to increased cancer risk.
There has also been a strong link between statins and Alzheimer ’s disease. Among the other 300 side effects are neuropathy, acidosis, frequent fevers, sexual dysfunction, poor immune system, polyneuropathy, liver dysfunction, pancreatic dysfunction, anemia and cataracts.
Because of the side effect of weakening muscles statins can reverse any gains made by exercising. By doing this they reduce the person’s capability to exercise. They impair their capability to utilize fats and carbohydrates for energy. This leads to increased insulin resistance, excessive weight gain and accelerated ageing. If you absolutely must be on statins you can reduce this effect by making sure you get plenty of CoQ10.
Some of the recent studies are showing that especially in post-menopausal women statins increase the likelihood of developing type II diabetes. The increase is not small; it is a whopping 50%. Those same women are 83-143% more likely to develop breast cancer as well. Men are not immune. They are 86% more likely to develop prostate cancer than their unmediated counterparts. Those with kidney problems are even more likely to develop side effects. This is probably due to the fact that a healthy kidney would break down more of the drug, providing some protection.
The kicker is that lifestyle changes can do more to protect you from heart attacks than statins can. Eliminate grain based foods and sugar based foods. Get a little exercise. These two modifications along can go a lot farther in keeping you healthy than a boatload of medications.
The bottom line is that your body needs cholesterol. There is absolutely no evidence that low cholesterol leads to a decrease in heart disease. There is lots of evidence that low cholesterol leads to other life threatening health conditions.