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The recommended medication for high cholesterol is usually statin
drugs. These drugs are widely prescribed for people with high total cholesterol
and high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
Recent recommendations have increased
the amount of possible people taking statin drugs to those with high levels
of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in the blood. High
CRP indicates systemic inflammation and is a risk factor for heart disease.
However, people with high CRP can have normal, and even low, amounts of
cholesterol.
To further extend the reach of statin drugs, even obese
children are now recommended statins if their cholesterol
levels are high. This recommendation has come with some
controversy, as there have been no long-term studies
on the health effects of prolonged statin treatment in
children.
Fortunately, a recent study is trying to reign in the
statin prescription epidemic and is suggesting that statin
drugs are overprescribed. (Duh!) The Johns Hopkins study,
presented at the American Heart Association’s annual
Scientific Sessions found that almost 95 percent of heart
attacks, strokes, or heart-related deaths occurred in
people who had a measurable amount of calcium buildup
in the arteries.
The researchers found that patients on statin drugs who
had no calcium buildup in their arteries only suffered
5 percent of heart disease related events. This means
that the drugs may not be offering any heart protection
in these people, yet as many as 5 percent of all people
on statins experience severe side effects -- some even
develop diabetes as a side effect!Â
The researchers recommend that only those patients at
greatest risk, especially those with high coronary calcium
scores, be given statins. Luckily, diet (like one that
is high
in Omega-3s) and lifestyle factors (like exercise
and stress reduction) help to lower some of the risk
factors for heart disease. Talk with your doctor about
your options before just blindly accepting a prescription
drug that may not even be necessary.
Yours in Health,
Brenda Watson, CNC |
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