New Statin Recommendation: Don't Believe Everything You Hear

You probably heard the news a week or so ago from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (that’s a mouthful). The new guidelines recommend that anyone over the age of 40 with a risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or a smoking habit should take be taking the cholesterol-reducing drugs – statins.That’s very interesting coming from a panel of “experts” who probably had ONE class about pharmaceuticals throughout their medical studies. An article published earlier this year in the British Medical Journal cited research involving nearly 70,000 people; and that research found there was no link between what has traditionally been considered “bad” cholesterol and the premature deaths of 60-year-olds or older from cardiovascular disease. In fact, the new study found that 92 percent of people with a high cholesterol level lived longer.You see, cholesterol is an essential life-sustaining chemical in our bodies. It is a fundamental component of every cell membrane in the body including brain cells; it is the raw material from which our bodies are able to manufacture vitamin D in the sunshine; and it is a brain antioxidant, protecting brain cells against free radicals. Another study of more than 3,000 adults, who had the lowest levels of cholesterol, found that their risk of mortality increased an incredible 65 percent!Not only is cholesterol essential to our bodies, the statins taken to lower it have some disturbing side effects. It can cause muscular and joint pain, and those who have taken statins on a regular basis often suffer dementia-type symptoms. Think about it, if you are curbing something (cholesterol) your brain needs, then your brain is going to suffer.On the study cited in the British Medical Journal, vascular and endovascular surgery expert professor Sherif Sultan from the University of Ireland said cholesterol is one of the “most vital” molecules in the body and prevents infection, cancer, muscle pain and other conditions in elderly people.“Lowering cholesterol with medications for primary cardiovascular prevention in those aged over 60 is a total waste of time and resources, whereas altering your lifestyle is the single most important way to achieve a good quality of life,” he said.If you visit the website of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, you can scroll down to find the conflict of interest disclosures of those who conducted the study that led to the new statin recommendation. One of the researchers was “Principal Investigator for a Roche/Genentech-sponsored vaccine trial for cervical cancer precursors.” Hmm, so he worked for a drug company? Another one of the researchers “consulted for the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, a nonprofit organization that evaluates the effectiveness of medical tests and treatments, on the cost-effectiveness of PCSK9, a new class of drugs used for lipid-lowering therapy.” Sounds as if she might have had close ties to drug companies as well.Keep in mind, my blogs are my opinion. However, I’ve backed this one up with some facts. All I ask is that the public not believe everything they hear in the media. This story about the benefits of statins hit all of the mainstream media, and unless the general public takes the time to find and read research, or looks for a differing opinions on the news that is released, they won’t know that there are usually more facts to the story.