The preceding information introducing cholesterol to you based on facts, as opposed to opinions. Please read on to help you understand why you should not take cholesterol lowering medications. Again these are hard data, fact based statements that include human clinical trials.
To begin with, cholesterol lowering “statin” drugs have over 300 listed side-ejfects.
According to Dr. Stephen Sinatra:
“Statins block several biochemical pathways in the production of cholesterol. In other words, statins are great cholesterol killers but in the same process they knock out other biochemical pathways. One of the pathways is squalene, which I think is really essential in preventing breast cancer in women” (Sinatra. S. 201°,). The other major pathway is a C0Q10 pathway.
Squalene Pathway
Patients taking statin drugs need to be aware that they arepromoting immune system dysfunction because of what is called “squalene reduction”. In April 2010, the journal “Food and Chemical Toxicology” published a study that showed that squalene is partially responsible for a reduced breast cancer incidence in women who consume squalene-containing olives or olive oil regularly. Scientists believe that this decreased incidence is due to the protective activity of squalene against DNA damage in normal mammary cells.
Keep in mind that Dr. Sinatra’s expertise is grounded in more than 30 years of clinical practice, research, and study. A graduate of Albany Medical College, Dr. Sinatra is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the organization’s highest level of recognition.
C0Q10 Pathway
We also have to be concerned about C0Q10 reduction as a result of statins, because C0Q10 is one of the elements produced in your body that supports your immune system. If C0Q10 levels decrease, you end up with immune system dysfunction and inflammation.
C0Q10 is vital for cellular energy transport & heart health. It helps generate energy so your heart can pump blood. In fact, most countries have it available for sale, registered as a drug, for the sole purpose of benefiting heart function. C0O10 does this by increasing mitochondrial function. These are the power plants in your cells. Cardiac muscle cells have up to 200 times more mitochondria than your average cell. By taking a statin you may be ruining your heart by reducing C0Q10.
A study from the Journal of Atherosclerosis backs up this concern showing that statin use is associated with a 52% increase in calcified coronary plaque in comparison to non-users (Rvo N. 2012). Coronary calcification is a hallmark of heart disease. Again, by taking a statin drug you may be ruining your heart.
A report on statin side-effects published in The San Diego Union-Tribune highlighted a study from the University of California San Diego campus. More than 1,000 generally healthy adults from San Diego County participated in Golomb’s study, which involved randomly giving participants a placebo or one of two statins — 40 mg of Pravachol (also known as pravastatin) or 20 mg of Zocor (also known as simvastatin). The university excluded people with heart disease and diabetes (Golomb B. 2012).
“Those placed on statins (in the study) were significantly more likely than those on placebo to report worsening in energy, fatigue with exertion, or both,” Golomb said in a summary of the findings, which were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
“The medical community needs to spend more time asking whether the benefits of these drugs outweigh the risks,” said Beatrice Golomb, author of the UC San Diego study and a professor at the UCSD School of Medicine.
The Mayo Clinic, one of the top rated medical facilities in the US, lists the following side-effects associated with statin use: liver damage, muscle pain & weakness, digestive issues, rashes, increase blood sugar & type 2 diabetes & neurological damage (Mayo Clinic. 2on). Think of the great stuff that cholesterol actually does. Given the side-effects listed does it really make sense to use these drugs to reduce the presence of this vital and naturally occurring material?
Oh … and that “other” issue …
Researchers examining the French Pharmacovigillance System Database have reported that erectile dysfunction is connected with statin medications (Caraval A. 2006. Kash R. 2001). Spontaneous complaints of erectile dysfunction complaints in the report were 10 times more common among men taking statins than among those taking other drugs. When the statins were discontinued, more than 50 percent reported recovery.
Cholesterol & Memory… Don’t You Forget It!
Amy Egan, deputy director of safety in the Division of Metabolism of Drug Products at the FDA, released some new warnings about statin drugs in 2012 (FDA Page Addressing New Warnings’), including one about memory loss. The cause of this side effect is simple, your brain is mainly composed of fat and much of that fat is cholesterol. Having a fat head isn’t such a bad thing, but having an empty head on the other hand … still is. Additionally, in the report linked above, statin drugs have another new warning listed stating that they increase AlC levels. AlC levels are a test that measures a person’s average blood glucose level over the previous 2 to 3 months. AlC levels are considered to be the best marker of long term blood sugar control. Both elevated blood sugar & AlC levels are major predictors of heart disease (Cavalot F. 2011). Again, taking a statin drug may ruin your heart.
Dr Duane Graveline, MD, ex- NASA scientist and astronaut, experienced significant memory loss while taking a cholesterol reducing medication. He managed to regain his memory’ by stopping the medication in question and eating lots of cholesterol-rich foods. He wrote about his experience in a book titled, Lipitor: Thief of Memory. Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol.
A lot of other side effects explain why half of the people who start taking statin medications quit taking them. A recent study of more than 100, 000 people who had been prescribed statins from 2000 to 2008 found that 17% of them reported side effects,including: muscular pain, nausea, liver and nervous system problems. This study found that two-thirds of the subjects quit taking statins as a result of side effects and half of them quit taking them at least temporarily. 20% of the people prescribed stains quit taking them for more than a year (Zhang H. 2on , Grundy SM. 20i’V).
Remember, cholesterol hasn’t even proven itself to be a risk factor for heart disease. So by taking a cholesterol reducing medication, such as a statin, you are risking all that trouble, for nothing. Are there controllable factors which actually have been proven by unbiased evidence to cause heart disease? We’re glad you asked…