Half of Population Will be Taking Statins

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Half of Population Will be Taking Statins

http://www.mercola.com/2000/jul/9/statins.htm

 

A prominent medical authority this past week announced his prediction that

50% of the entire US population could be taking statin medication. He cites the

following reasons for these cholesterol-lowering drugs becoming so prevalent

that virtually every medicine cabinet in the country will be stocked with it:

 

They are supposedly tremendously effective

 

They are claimed to be completely safe at the recommended dosages

 

Several statins may soon be available without a prescription

 

The first statin (lovastatin) will come off-patent in June 2001, allowing

generics to be produced, driving down the price Dr. Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., dean

and medical provost of Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York,

told a press conference that he favored this class of drugs for all men aged

more than 45 and women aged 55 plus who had a total cholesterol of more than

200 mg/dL, an HDL cholesterol of less than 50 mg/dL and one other risk factor

for coronary heart disease.

 

12th International Symposium on Atherosclerosis, June 2000 Stockholm, Sweden

 

 

 

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Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

It is not surprising that the traditional medical model will be promoting

drugs to solve this problem. The big issue here is that these potent medications

will be over the counter in the near future with a massive PR campaign to

encourage people to swallow these potentially dangerous drugs.

 

There are likely to be some people who benefit from them, but it is probably

far less than 5% of the people who currently take them. These are individuals

with total cholesterol above 350 who have inherited liver processing problems.

 

 

If these individuals take the statin drugs however, they should also take

Coenzyme Q 10, which is important for heart health and, like cholesterol, is

reduced when one takes these drugs. The proper way for nearly everyone else to

control their cholesterol levels is by reducing their grain intake by following

the healthy eating plan

[ http://www.mercola.com/2000/jul/9/statins.htm ] I recommend.

 

Another problem is the fact that low cholesterol is associated with numerous

problems, as you can see from some of the studies below.

 

There have also been many studies showing adverse effects of statin

medications. Aside from impairing brain function (see below), they have also

been shown

to cause cancer in laboratory animals, according to report in the Journal of

the American Medical Association (JAMA 1996; 275: 55-60).

 

In this study, the authors state " lipid-lowering drug treatment, especially

with the fibrates and statins, should be avoided except in patients at high

short-term risk of coronary heart disease. "

 

Related Articles:

 

Low Cholesterol Linked to Depression

http://www.mercola.com/2000/mar/26/cholesterol_depression.htm

 

Lowering Cholesterol Could Cause Violent Behavior

http://www.mercola.com/1998/archive/low_cholesterol_linked_to_violence.htm

 

Low Cholesterol Linked to Stroke Risk

http://www.mercola.com/1999/archive/low_cholesterol.htm

 

Low Cholesterol and Albumin Bad Signs in Elderly

http://www.mercola.com/1999/archive/bad_signs_in_elderly.htm

 

Statins May Impair Brain Function

http://www.mercola.com/1997/archive/cholesterol_drug_impairs_brain_function.htm

 

Cholesterol is Needed to Help Your Brain Cells Communicate

http://www.mercola.com/2001/nov/24/cholesterol.htm

 

Low Cholesterol May Affect Mood

http://www.mercola.com/1997/archive/low_cholesterol_may_affect_mood.htm