The Epoch Times The use of statin cholesterol-lowering medications has beenĀ on the rise for decadesĀ and they are among the most widely used drugs in the world. In the U.S., nearlyĀ 50 percent of U.S. adults over 75Ā years old take a statin to lower their cholesterol in the misguided hope of preventing heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke.
Not only is there strong evidence suggesting thatĀ statinsĀ are aĀ colossal waste of money, but their use may also harm your brain healthāmore than doubling your risk of dementia in some cases.
The benefit must clearly outweigh the risk when it comes to any drug treatment, but this is rarely the case with statins, which donāt protect against cardiovascular disease and are linked to a number ofĀ healthĀ conditionsĀ including dementia,Ā diabetes, and even increased risk of death fromĀ COVID-19.
Statins Doubled Risk of Developing Dementia
Statinsā effects on cognitive performance have previously been called into question,Ā since lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol areĀ linked to a higher risk of dementia.Ā The featured study, published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, involved people with mild cognitive impairment and looked into the effects of two types of statins: hydrophilic and lipophilic.
Hydrophilic statins, which include pravastatin (Pravachol) and rosuvastatin (Crestor), dissolve more readily in water, while lipophilic statins, such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), Fluvastatin (Lescol), and lovastatin (Altoprev),Ā dissolve more readily in fats. Lipophilic statins canĀ easily enter cellsĀ and be distributed throughout your body, whereasĀ hydrophilic statins focus on the liver.
āThere have been many conflicting studies on the effects of statin drugs on cognition,ā according toĀ study author Prasanna Padmanabham of the University of CaliforniaāLos Angeles. āWhile some claim that statins protect users against dementia, others assert that they accelerate the development of dementia. Our study aimed to clarify the relationship between statin use and subjectās long-term cognitive trajectory.ā
Subjects were divided into groups based on cognitive status, cholesterol levels, and type of statin used, and followed for eight years. Those with early mild cognitive impairment and low to moderate cholesterol levels at the start of the study who used lipophilic statins hadĀ more than double the risk of dementiaĀ compared to those who didnāt use statins.
Further, this groupĀ also had significant decline in metabolism of the brainās posterior cingulate cortex, which is the brain region that declines most significantly in early Alzheimerās disease.
Your Brain Needs Cholesterol
About 25 percent to 30 percent of your bodyās total cholesterol is found in your brain, where itās an essential part of neurons. In your brain,Ā cholesterolĀ helps develop and maintain theĀ plasticity and function of your neurons, and data from the Shanghai Aging Study published in Frontiers in Neurology revealed that high levels of LDL cholesterol are inversely associated with dementia in those aged 50 years and over.
āHigh level of LDL-C may be considered as a potential protective factor against cognition decline,āĀ the researchers noted. They compiled a number of mechanisms on why lower cholesterol may be damaging for brain health, including the fact that lower cholesterol is linked with higher mortality in the elderly and may occur alongside malnutrition and chronic diseases, including cancer. As it specifically relates to brain health, however,Ā they suggested:
- Decreasing cholesterol levels in the elderly may be associated with cerebral atrophy, which occurs with dementia
- High LDL cholesterol may be beneficial by reducing neuronsā impairments or helping repair injured neurons
- Acceleration of neurodegeneration has occurred when neurons were short on cellular cholesterol or cholesterol supply
- Cholesterol plays an important role in the synthesis, transportation, and metabolism of steroid hormones and lipid-soluble vitamins, and both of these are important to synaptic integrity and neurotransmission
In a study published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, lower cholesterol levels were also associated with worse cognitive function among South Korean study participants aged 65 and over, and were considered to be aĀ āstate marker for AD [Alzheimerās disease].ā
A U.S. study of more than 4,300 Medicare recipients aged 65 and overĀ also revealed that higher levels of total cholesterol were associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimerās disease, even after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors and other related variables.
Statins Increase Death Risk From COVID-19
The risks to brain health are only one red flag tied to statins. A concerning link was also uncovered among statins, diabetes, and anĀ increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19Ā in a study published in Diabetes and Metabolism. Among patients with Type 2 diabetes admitted to a hospital for COVID-19, those taking statins had significantly higher mortality rates from COVID-19 within seven days and 28 days, compared to those not taking the drugs.
The researchers acknowledged those taking statins were older, more frequently male, and often had more comorbidities, including high blood pressure, heart failure, and complications of diabetes. However, despite the limitations, the researchers found enough evidence in the over 2,400 participants toĀ conclude:
āOur present results do not support the hypothesis of a protective role of routine statin use against COVID-19, at least not in hospitalized patients with T2DM (Type 2 diabetes mellitus).
āIndeed, the potentially deleterious effects of routine statin treatment on COVID-19-related mortality demands further investigation and, as recently highlighted, only appropriately designed and powered randomized controlled trials will be able to properly address this important issue.ā
Statins Doubleāor TripleāDiabetes Risk
A connection already exists between statins and diabetes, to the extent that people who take statins areĀ more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetesĀ than those who do not, and those who take the drugs for longer than two years haveĀ more than triple the risk.
āThe fact that increased duration of statin use was associated with an increased risk of diabetesāsomething we call a dose-dependent relationshipāmakes us think that this is likely a causal relationship,ā study author Victoria Zigmont, a graduate researcher in public health at The Ohio State University in Columbus, said in aĀ statement.
The data also indicated that individuals taking statin medications had aĀ 6.5 percent increased risk of high blood sugarĀ as measured by hemoglobin A1c value, which is an average level of blood sugar measuring the past 60 to 90 days.
Researchers with the Erasmus Medical Center in The Netherlands also analyzed data from more than 9,500 patients in a study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, findingĀ those who had ever used statins had a 38 percent higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, with the risk being higher in those with impaired glucose homeostasis and those who were overweight or obese.
The researchers concluded, āIndividuals using statins may be at higher risk for hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and eventually, Type 2 diabetes. Rigorous preventive strategies such as glucose control and weight reduction in patients when initiating statin therapy might help minimize the risk of diabetes.ā
But a far better strategy may be preventing insulin resistance in the first place by avoiding statin drugs and eating a healthy diet.Ā According to Dr. Aseem Malhotra, an interventional cardiologist consultant in Londonāwho has beenĀ attackedĀ for being a āstatin denierā after calling out the drugsā side effectsāand a colleague:
āIn young adults, preventing insulin resistanceĀ could prevent 42 percent of myocardial infarctions, a larger reduction than correcting hypertension (36 percent), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (31 percent), body mass index (BMI) (21 percent), or LDL-C (16 percent).
āIt is plausible that the small benefits of statins in the prevention of CVD [cardiovascular disease] come from pleiotropic effects which are independent of LDL-lowering. The focus in primary prevention should therefore be on foods and food groups that have a proven benefit in reducing hard endpoints and mortality.ā
The Statin Scam
Even as saturated fats and cholesterol have been vilified and statin drugs have become among the most widely prescribed medications worldwide,Ā heart diseaseĀ remainsĀ a top killer. Today, statin drugs to reduce cholesterol levels areĀ recommended for four broad patient populations:
- Those who have already had a cardiovascular event
- Adults with diabetes
- Individuals with LDL cholesterol levels ā„190āmg/dL
- Individuals with an estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk ā„7.5 percent (based on an algorithm that uses your age, gender, blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins (HDL), race, and history of diabetes to predict the likelihood youāll experience a heart attack in the coming 10 years)
Despite statins being prescribed for these sizable groups, and ātargetā cholesterol levels being achieved, a systematic review of 35 randomized, controlled trials found that no additional benefits were gained. According to anĀ analysis in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine:
āRecommending cholesterol-lowering treatment based on estimated cardiovascular risk fails to identify many high-risk patients and may lead to unnecessary treatment of low-risk individuals. The negative results of numerous cholesterol lowering randomized controlled trials call into question the validity of using low-density lipoprotein cholesterol as a surrogate target for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.ā
Even in the case of recurrent cardiovascular events, despite the increase in statin use from 1999 to 2013, researchers writing in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders noted, āthere was only a small decrease in the incidence of recurrent CVD, and this occurred mainly in older patients without statins prescribed.ā
Statins Wonāt Protect Your Heart Health
Statins are effective at lowering cholesterol, but whether this is the panacea for helping you avoid heart disease and extend your lifespan is a topic of heated debate. Again in 2018,Ā a scientific reviewĀ presented substantial evidence that high LDL and total cholesterol are not an indication of heart disease risk, and that statin treatment is of doubtful benefit as a form of primary prevention for this reason.
In short, these drugs have done nothing to derail the rising trend of heart disease, while putting users at increased risk of health conditions such as diabetes, dementia, and others, which include:
- Cancer
- Cataracts
- Triple risk of coronary artery and aortic artery calcification
- Musculoskeletal disorders, including myalgia, muscle weakness,Ā muscle cramps, rhabdomyolysis, and autoimmune muscle disease
- Depression
In the event that youāre taking statins, be aware that they deplete your body ofĀ coenzyme Q10Ā (CoQ10) and inhibit the synthesis ofĀ vitamin K2. The risks of CoQ10 depletion can be somewhat offset by taking a Coenzyme Q10 supplement or, if youāre over 40, its reduced form ubiquinol. But ultimately, if youāre looking to protect both your brain and heart health, avoiding statin drugs and insteadĀ optimizing your dietĀ may be the answer.
Dr. Joseph Mercola is the founder of Mercola.com. An osteopathic physician, best-selling author, and recipient of multiple awards in the field of natural health, his primary vision is to change the modern health paradigm by providing people with a valuable resource to help them take control of their health. This article was originally published onĀ Mercola.com
