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Some recent studies on statin therapies

Oldvatr

Expert
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8,453
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
The following may be of interest regarding statin use
https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/new...effect-of-statins-administered-in-monotherapy
https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o2103
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:0db1241b-e731-4aaf-9f3e-ab3596ebb670
https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehac015/6529098
https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/article/29/5/779/6439180

You may notice that they are all from the same source. The AstraZenica vaccine research was also done by this university, but maybe different departments were involved.. AstraZenica manufactures Crestor. (Rosuvastatin).

One of these papers is the topic for todays paper. (Telegraph) . .
 
Oldvatr said:
The following may be of interest regarding statin use
.....
https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o2103
....
One of these papers is the topic for todays paper. (Telegraph) . .
Click to expand...

I had a read through of this paper which has been all over the press arguing that it proves that statins are not the cause of muscle pain and are thus safe. These headlines should however be treated with a little caution for the following reasons:
  • The studies screened out people who had already reported an intolerance to statins - thus skewing the results.
  • The studies are based on subjective data regarding participants self reporting of levels of pain - there was very little objective data available for creatine kinase (levels of muscle degradation) from blood tests.
IMHO statins are a population level medication. They benefit a small percentage of people, but that small percentage at a population level becomes a huge number which policy makers cannot ignore. However, at an individual level, statins may not work for various reasons e.g. the enhanced CK levels in people who engage in vigorous exercise (as we are encouraged to do), and its adverse effects in raising blood sugar levels ...
 
How did we ever survive without statins, what a god send. I am so glad the explorers found the statin tree, picked the fruit and saved us all. Seriously as with all of these things they want to do the let's start from here, They can mislead those who have not followed the history of the initial statins that were killing people, the Japanese trials, the incidences of side affects and the minuscule amount of additional life provided (if correct).

I do believe that stains can reduce inflammation which could be the positive they show; but for me I do other things to reduce inflammation.

The study that so called showed no relationship to muscle aches was repeated by an ex politician last night on a mainstream news outlet, I shall ignore her advice as she also has been on the record of telling the public to eat less meat. My point is that it is easy for such "facts" to become publicised by those who have no idea what they are promoting.
 
I am hearing people saying that the lower their cholesterol levels the healthier they are. Levels of 2 or 3 being quoted. It's as if people don't realise we need some cholesterol to function as humans. I find this drive to ever lower levels concerning, especially when driven by their HCP.
 
The truth is that most of the cholesterol in our blood is made from within our own bodies for the purpose of repair etc. Only a small amount comes from the food we eat and statins don't differentiate, they lower both 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol, like a sledgehammer to crack a nut - yes you crack the shell but the kernel gets squished too :-/ (edited nut-> shell/kernel)
 
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Yes. That's why I am concerned by the "lower and lower cholesterol" drive by hcps
 
And for some the nut is potentially harmful due to allergy. But for most it will be fine. The opposite applies to statins IMHO, where some may benefit, but most won't. also the sledgehammer can be harmful if misused. ( i.e. Maxwell and his silver hammer)
 
Not to pre-judge but I have to be skeptical if these studies are asserting that muscle pain is not sometimes a side effect of statins. Even the drug companies agree with this. And like any drug, they can also be dangerous in some cases. At the same time, I think statins do a good job for many people and I’m glad they’re available.

It’s not an either/or proposition. Often the muscle pain problem can be solved by temporarily stopping the statin, then either lowering the dosage or switching to a different statin.
 
david4503 said:
Often the muscle pain problem can be solved by temporarily stopping the statin, then either lowering the dosage or switching to a different statin.
Click to expand...

The muscle pain isn't the real issue here though. The real issue is the muscle degradation (identified by raised CK levels) which may or may not be accompanied by muscle pain. As one ages muscles degrade anyway, add on an artificial enhancement to that degradation through the taking of statins and it will potentially lead to increased frailty in older age and all the ensuing implications for our health services.
Unfortunately, in my experience, and anecdotally, CK levels for statin patients are not monitored as often as they should, if at all .
 
I know from examining the trial reports and understanding the way statistics were used to massage the results. The Peto method was a way of introducing bias without it being obvious, and has since been stopped for reports after 2006. Most statin trials were done before that cut off date, and have not been revised. The raw data collected has been witheld from public scrutiny.
 
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stuffedolive said:
Unfortunately, in my experience, and anecdotally, CK levels for statin patients are not monitored as often as they should, if at all .
Click to expand...

That would be a problem, yes. There are risks involved with statins and if you’re not monitoring for them, you may just find out the hard way.
 
I’ve been on statins for years after a brain haemorrhage. Been unwell for a long time with leg pain cramps headaches, I’ve stopped them under orders.
My leg pain and swelling has all but disappeared, headaches are 80% better.
I’m now drinking liquid yogurt with plants stanol in 2%.
Are these the same as statins?
As while I’ve been do the LCHF diet my Cholesterol has gone up.
Somewhat concerned. Am. Doing the right thing.
Thank you.
 
I think that the main problem is the initial assumption that cholesterol is a villain and must be reduced.
There are several HCPs dealing with vascular and cardio problems who have been perplexed to find that more than half their patients have below average cholesterol levels. They say this very quietly.
 
This is what Weston A Price has to say on this topic

Cholesterol and Stroke

️ Print post ARTICLE SUMMARY Stroke is the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause of death in the United States and most developed countries. There […]
www.westonaprice.org
 
Would you share your cholesterol level and the breakdown of the figures, if you have them, please?
 
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