Statins are a group of cholesterol-lowering drugs that are taken by a large number of people. The best selling drug in the US Is Lipitor (atorvastatin).
In the last weeks there has been a lot of press about a study. The reports have suggested that “healthy people” without high cholesterol levels had a decrease in the cardiovascular disease. Other reports have said that it was a small subpopulation with only small differences and so it is meaningless.
The rush to judgment in the media does not consider who the subpopulation studied actually were. By some criteria they were not healthy.
The study population was those who had high levels of CRP, but not high cholesterol.
CRP, or C reactive protein, is a marker of inflammation. Recently there has been a ton of evidence that many diseases such as atherosclerosis (narrowing of blood vessels) and diabetes are inflammatory. Additionally chronic inflammation is itself damaging. (Mondays post Resistin, a hormone, a better predictor of heart trouble talks about how resistin may be a better indicator of inflammatory disease.)
So the study group, though they did not have high cholesterol, had high levels of inflammation. So, as stated above, by some criteria they had health problems.
Whether this warrants a statin, particularly Crestor is certainly open to debate. Crestor is one of the stronger statins, but also has the highest incidence of myopathy (muscle damage). Belly fat is inflammatory. Get rid of that belly fat and the level of the inflammation in the body should drop too. Eat a good diet, fish oils and many fruits and vegetables contain anti-inflammatory compounds.
[tags]statins, inflammation. CRP[/tags]
One Comment
The web is awash with the propaganda about cholesterol being the villain and the antidote statins will keep us from premature death from atherosclerosis. Some concerned doctors speak up about this con, but patients and those advocating for them need to shout the disgust and condemnation. Remember the recent FDA scandal few years ago when the advisory panel decided the new guidelines to be lowered to for for cholesterol? I think it was a panel of 9, 7 of them closely connected witht he drug companies selling Statins and one was truly independent, how ever the lawyer supposed to represent the interest of the FDA also colluded with the rest! Bad science, skewed research, ignorant doctors who prescribe on faith, profit driven and hostile to natural alternatives that are more effective controlling inflammation . WITH VERY LOW LEVEL OF TRANSIENT INFLAMMATION CHOLESTEROL CAN NOT BE OXIDIZED AND BLAMED FOR THINGS IT IS INNOCENT OF. MANY PEOPLE DIE WITH PERFECT SCORES AND MANY ESPECIALLY OLDER PEOPLE LIVE LONG AND HEALTHY LIVES WITH ELEVATED CHOLESTEROL LEVELS.! We`better educate our own family doctors too, and if they take exception to our questioning it is time to change doctors. Good luck! And courage!