Statins may not slash the risk of dying from heart disease: Controversial study claims the cheap cholesterol-busting pills offer no 'consistent benefit'

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 3 August 2020 | ELEANOR HAYWARD

[Mount Athos]

Statins are not particularly effective at reducing the risk of dying from heart disease, a study claims.

Scientists analysed 35 studies into the effects of the drugs which lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol and found the pills have no consistent benefit.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal, found three quarters of all trials reported no reduction in mortality among those who took the drugs.

And half of all studies suggested that cholesterol-busting pills did not prevent heart attacks or strokes.

The research flies in the face of decades of medical advice. Authors claimed doctors have overlooked evidence that suggests statins, which are routinely prescribed to people at risk of heart disease, are not effective.

Around 8million people in Britain and 35million in the US take statins. They are thought to prevent heart attacks and strokes by lowering levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood.

Statins are routinely prescribed to people thought to be at risk of heart disease, including those with diabetes, high blood pressure and over-75s.

[Gay State Conservative]

I receive all my medical care from faculty members of Harvard Medical School.I was told a year or two ago that new research puts me in an increased risk group for certain cardiac issues and was,for the first time,advised to take a statin.The one I was prescribed costs about 5 cents a day...so nobody's making any serious $$$ from this advice.

One study means little in medicine.

[antidisestablishment]

Well, I’d like to know—I just turned hit senior-citizen status, and was welcomed by a significant stroke. Never had high-BP or cholesterol problems, am not obese by any means, but I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis years ago. Long story short, the docs put me on statins after the stroke, and I have been through three varieties because it seemed to worsen my arthritis. I quit and now my cholesterol is high?

Now, I’m back on them, but I see no benefit other than a number. Still think the drugs are worse than not taking them.

[frank ballenger]

True. Good point. The cure from the problems caused by the statin cure. Eventually it’s like the nerve-wracked judge in the great comedy What’s Up Doc?

“I take the yellow, green and red pills for my health symptoms and the orange ones and these two over here for the problems caused by taking the first pills. And I have no idea what this pill is for. I think they’re afraid to tell me.”

[DAC21]

Overweight, diabetic, coronary heart disease, high trig’s get yourself on Vescepa especially if you are on a statin and intend on staying on it. Proven 25% reduction in stroke / heart attacks. But as of today it's only FDA approved for those on statins, although Docs that think outside the box can put you on it off label. Doc won't budge on getting you the RX? You can try OTC Omegavia brand 500mg EPA only. Dropped my trig's from a already decent 125 score to 85. Almost all OTC fish oil is mixed Omega 3's, EPA and DHA Omegas and shows no heart benefit in study's. Vascepa FDA trials showed that DHA works against EPA. Getting rid of the DHA was the aha moment! Proven in the Reduce-it PHIII FDA trials.

[Salvavida]

Perhaps the biggest Big Pharma fraud of all time.

You got that right. And it removes the protective coating surrounding the synaptic pathways, which leads to......dementia.

And no one bats an eye when the average cholesterol of an Eskimo is 500.

[Irenic]

There are some good benefits of metformin, some Drs take it because of that. I wouldn’t mind taking it but I don’t need it.

[GnuThere]

And speaking of Eskimos, most doctors have never even heard of an omega-3 ratio.

[MachIV]

I agree. 12 years for me. Overall number was 113 for me last visit.

[Texas Fossil]

Suggestion on Ginger:

I buy fresh ginger,
peal it, slice it about 1/8” thick across the grain,
put in small saucepan cover with water so all submerged,
bring to boil, cover, reduce to simmer for 1/2 hour,
let cool.

Pour off the liquid in jar, place ginger slices in large basket strainer and air dry several days.

Then grind the dried ginger in grinder (mine is a wheat mill, but spice grinder works).

You can store the liquid drained in a jar in the refrigerator. Add teaspoon to morning coffee.

Or you can freeze the liquid in silicone candy mold and put them in the freezer for longer storage. Just drop one in your morning coffee.

The ground dried ginger is much better to cook with than anything in the store.

Note, ginger (especially fresh) is an anti viral treatment. And has many other benefits.

[mlo]

"Statins have consistently lowered my cholesterol levels to acceptable for over 20 years."

What does that accomplish?

"So if I’m still at risk of heart disease, then low cholesterol levels have nothing to do with that risk?"

They got this completely wrong decades ago and are unwilling to correct it now. We'll have to wait for the old generation of experts to die off before that happens.

But no, your total cholesterol level has nothing to do with it. Not even LDL does. The best predictor of a heart attack is low levels of HDL, but that's because it correlates with other negative things as well. Cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease. The build up of plaques is a symptom, not a cause.

[Hot Tabasco]

Statins can cause brain fog,

Are you positive about that???? Just started taking a blood pressure medication, Lisinopril, and a Cholesterol pill Astorvastatin that was prescribed to me a year ago but stopped taking them both due to that brain fog.

Tried them again two weeks ago and the same result...

Not sure which caused it but the only reason they were prescribed was due my life style being in a "high risk" category but no real high blood pressure or cholesterol.........

[napscoordinator]

Try fish oil as well. Big benefits from lower cholesterol to healthy joints. I take to gel caps in the morning and two at night. My joints especially feel better and the cholesterol has lowered.

[MachIV]

I asked my doctor about that once. He said it’s not an issue, at least for me.

[DAC21]

"And no one bats an eye when the average cholesterol of an Eskimo is 500"

You must not be sighting this study

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9115542/

[BobL]

“Perhaps the biggest Big Pharma fraud of all time.”

Nutrition and the diabetes charade will give it a run for the money. In that they seemed to pick the best way to get people sicker than hell, and then recommend that as the ‘treatment’. LOL.

[thinden]

bttt

[BamaBelle]

Yes, I’m taking that as well as calcium and a multi-vitamin. I eat very little meat, but put cheese on everything...he told me to cut back on cheese...lol. This is first time cholesterol has been high. I’m 65.

[LadyDoc]

They work for high risk patients, e.g. cholesterol over 350.
Then “experts” decided cholesterol should be lower and then even lower, so it was given to low risk folks.

We see the same pressure to lower blood pressure and blood sugar and put everyone on a low salt diet even when their bp is ok and their kidneys are fine.

Years ago they did a study of treating or not treating very high cholesterol, and sure enough, the heart attack rate went down, but the death rate was the same, because one non treatment group had more deaths from cancer, and another group had more deaths from homicide/suicide.

Like most docs, I am cynical, but what pressured us into treating was the threat of a malpractice suit.

Ditto for telemedicine...we used to do it all the time then were pressured not to prescribe over the phone, and now docs are pressured not to see patients even those who need to be seen, but just do a quick phone call.

Makes me glad I am retired.

[Texas Fossil]

Thanks. It is good stuff. Been doing this for years. Only recently started freezing it in a silicone candy mold.

Early days of Covid19, we took preemptive measure to increase our immune system. Fresh squeezed orange juice daily, added juice of half a lemon and the ginger. It is a good cocktail. smile. That and liquid (sublingual) B-12, Zinc and vitamin D3 (good dose of sunlight is better).

There is a good cost benefit ratio there.

[NCLaw441]

I stopped but it was too late. I have an autoimmune muscle disease since 2010. But the statins did their job. Now due to inability to run, jump, hike, climb or get back up after bending over I can’t replace statins with exercise.