Posted on 01/19/2007 11:08:25 AM PST by blam
Source: Society of Chemical Industry
Date: January 18, 2007
New Study To Test Statin-Parkinson's Link
Science Daily — Researchers are sufficiently worried by new study results that they are planning clinical trials involving thousands of people to examine the possible link between Parkinson's disease and statins, the world biggest selling drugs, reports Patrick Walter in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI.
Suggestions of a statin link are not new, but the results of a recent study linking low LDL cholesterol to Parkinson's provide the strongest evidence to date that it could be real, because statins work by reducing LDL cholesterol. The study by researchers at University of North Carolina showed that patients with low levels of LDL cholesterol are more than three and a half times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those with higher LDL levels.
When asked whether she was concerned by the new results, study leader Xuemei Huang said: 'Yes I am very concerned, which is why I am planning a 16000-patient prospective study to examine the possible role of statins.' Huang was quick to point out, however, that a causal link with statins had not yet been proven. And Yoav Ben-Shlomo, a professor of clinical epidemiology at University of Bristol said that it is also a possibility that LDL cholesterol is a consequence rather than a cause of Parkinson's.
But according to Huang, the well-established link between Parkinson's and apoE2, a gene associated with lower LDL cholesterol, supports her theory that low LDL is the culprit in many cases of Parkinson's.
Huang says that if there is a link with statins, we could see big surges in the number of Parkinson's diagnoses in the next five years, because at that stage, statins will have been in common usage for more than a decade.
Huang's new study will examine the statin link. A total of 16000 patients for whom 20 years of baseline fasting cholesterol measurements are available will be involved. Another large-scale trial investigating a cholesterol link with Parkinson's risk is underway at Harvard. This study differs in that there are no baseline data available for the study group.
Pfizer's statin Lipitor is the world's biggest selling drug with $12.2bn in sales in 2005. Parkinson's has previously been linked with pesticides. Pfizer were unavailable for comment.
Statins are a class of drugs used to lower blood cholesterol.
No question that it works it just comes with incredible side effects. The CoQ-10 issue is completely resersable with supplementation. I figure, hmmm, heart faliure or take a supplement, pretty easy choice.
Thanks! I will def. check out his site.
I have never been able to take the statins, my body rejects them, and have just been waiting for the cholesterol craze to subside and something else take its place.
right, thanks. I knew that, just didn't know if there was any naturally occurring statins like from a food or other drug source.
My father is 81, has had a heart attack and quad bypass 20 years ago. He's been on Statin for quite a while now and recently his heart functions have been getting weaker. I happen to sell supplements (not plugging just saying) so for Christmas I gave him my Advanced COQ-10 formula after telling him about the report. I knew he'd never get around to buying them so the Christmas gift worked well. He just called me up yesterday as he was getting ready to go away for a week and asked if I could get him some more before he left as he wanted to make sure he didn't run out while away!
Actually, I've read elsewhere that statins seem to lessen to occurrence of heart attacks.
And that is the ultimate goal for taking them.
My LDL was 120 and my doctor wanted me to go on lipitor. Told her to take a hike...
Are there naturally occuring sources? I suspect my varied diet includes whatever's necessary.
Just look them up at www.google.com. There's more information there than any human can deal with.
Only after yer dead and bloated...
FYI: You told me once you took cholesterol lowering medicines.
No, it wasn't that. I was on prescription blood thinners. My blood is probably thick as tar now.
I usew Red Rice Yeast. A natural statin. I take CoQ10 too. Now what to do?
Coming To A Bad End: Lost Chromosome Tips Linked To Heart problems
Telomeres.
Learned about that from Michio Kaku. Those are the things on the ends of shoelaces, and on the ends of DNA, that keep the fibers from fraying.
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