The truth behind statin medication hides behind the fallacy that statins are the gold standard for lowering cholesterol and preventing heart attacks and strokes. But, if statins provide effective defense against heart disease, and strokes, why is heart disease still the number one killer in the US?
Statins may not be as effective as pharmaceutical companies led us to believe and can deplete your body of critical nutrients necessary for vital organ function.
Patients Bullied into Taking Statins
Doctors prescribe statins for high cholesterol. Thousands of people who never wanted to take statins because of the side effects end up on the medication. When asked how it happened, they often respond with, “My doctor told me I would die if I didn’t take it.”
Doctors bullied patients into various medications or threatened to drop their care if the patient refused the recommended prescription.
There are two camps regarding statin drugs.
Camp statins focus on how cholesterol-lowering medications save lives. Camp anti-statins focus on these medications destroying your health. Which is right?
Statins History and Controversy
Statins have a long history, which shows the truth of the matter. Due to their profitability, two pharmaceutical companies raced to be the first to put statins on the market.
Sankyo, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, began researching and testing lovastatin in 1980. Shortly after, Merk, a US pharmaceutical company, followed suit.
Six months into the clinical trials, Sankyo suddenly pulled out of the race because more than half of their test subjects developed intestinal lymphoma (cancer in the small intestine) and deemed the drug too dangerous.
Merck followed suit and pulled the plug on the initial research but later stated that Sankyo was incorrect about their findings. Merck pushed ahead with their clinical studies and received FDA approval to release lovastatin in 1987.
The FDA did not know that Merck altered laboratory findings and graphs that revealed permanent damages the statin caused test subjects.
In 1997, a different pharmaceutical company, Bayer, jumped on the bandwagon and released another statin, Baycol (cerivastatin is the generic name in the US, and Lipobay for Europe).
In 2001, Bayer voluntarily withdrew the drug from the market in the US, Europe, and Japan due to devastating side effects, especially rhabdomyolysis. This disorder breaks down skeletal and smooth muscles (organ muscles), causing organ failure and death. The company paid out billions to settle thousands of lawsuits.
Even today, research reveals that all current statins on the market cause rhabdomyolysis. When people started to question the FDA about this, they said, “We’ve allowed other statins to remain on the market because they haven’t resulted in death.”
Statins’ history is marred with controversial research practices.
Revealing the Truth Behind Statin Research Studies
Many studies for statins provide skewed data. For example, in a large trial for simvastatin, researchers used a “run-in period.”
Before the trial began, all participants received active treatment or the simvastatin drug. Those who experienced side effects were excluded from the actual trial. The selective nature of the trial skewed the results, making the drugs appear more effective and safer than they were.
The Jupiter Study
The Jupiter study, one of the most well-known and cited studies on statins, “proves” how safe and effective statins are. Most doctors are unaware that the study is significantly flawed.
First, the study excluded people with high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. The trial, which tried to prove the effectiveness of statins against elevated cholesterol and heart disease, excluded those with high cholesterol and heart disease.
Second, AstraZeneca, the maker of the statin in the trial, Crestor, funded the study, which compounds the conflict of interest, as the authors also had financial ties to pharmaceutical companies.
Third, the trial prematurely stopped after 1.9 years instead of the planned four years, preventing the identification of long-term side effects.
Lastly, the scientists underreported side effects such as diabetes risk, muscle pain, and nerve damage.
Ten Other Studies
The Jupiter study was one of eleven studies analyzed for validity and objectivity by unbiased medical researchers. In the ten other studies, they analyzed a comprehensive review of medical data from over 90,000 subjects with a history of heart attacks. They published their findings in the British Medical Journal.
They concluded that taking statin drugs increased a person’s lifespan by an average of 4.1 days. Those with no history of heart disease or heart attacks only increased by 3.2 days.
After reviewing all 11 studies, scientists concluded that for those with elevated cholesterol levels, only 2 out of 100 might experience a non-fatal heart attack. Those taking the statin drug receive a 1% decrease in their risk of having a heart attack.
In conclusion, the truth behind statins reveals that there is no significant mortality benefit for people between the ages of 50 and 75.
Statins Side Effects
Research papers, the FDA Science Forum, and the World Health Organization report several adverse side effects from taking statins.
Decreased HDL & LDL Cholesterol
Statins decrease both HDL and LDL cholesterol to abnormally low levels, which increases the risk of heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks.
Cognitive Impairment, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s
The cholesterol-lowering drugs also causes cognitive impairment, memory loss, confusion, and amnesia. Studies also link them with Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Statins like atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin, fluvastatin, and pravastatin cross the blood-brain barrier.
Nerve Damage
Statins cause significant nerve damage, leading to peripheral neuropathy.
Researchers who studied 500,000 people in Denmark found that after taking a statin drug for one year, the risk of developing nerve damage increased by 15%. People taking statins for two years or longer increased the risk of developing peripheral neuropathy by 26%.
The research further revealed that people who had neuropathy developed more nerve damage with worsened symptoms after going on a statin.
Muscle Pain and Weakness
Furthermore, statins also cause muscle pain and weakness, possibly leading to rhabdomyolysis, the deadly breakdown of muscle tissue.
Dr. Beatrice Golomb, a medical professor and researcher at the University of San Diego, California, conducted a series of studies on its side effects, specifically rhabdomyolysis.
She and her team found that 98% of patients taking Lipitor and over 33% of people taking Mevachor (low dose of statin) suffered from rhabdomyolysis or muscle injury.
Fatigue
This cholesterol-reducing drug also causes fatigue, making it difficult to raise the arms over the head or lift light objects. Patients also experience difficulty climbing stairs or getting up from a chair.
Diabetes
The truth behind statins also exposes that patients are left with a tremendous risk of developing diabetes. The risk for men developing diabetes elevates to 46%, while a women’s health initiative study found women had a 71% risk.
Other Side Effects
Other side effects include:
- Heart failure from CoQ10 depletion
- Liver failure
- Osteoporosis
- Decrease in sex hormones like testosterone
- Erectile dysfunction
- Testicular atrophy
- Gynecomastia (man boobs)
Statins are also tied to liver cancer, depression, mood disorders, and sleep disorders.
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