Statin drugs have revolutionized the way that physicians treat high cholesterol, but that success has come with a price. More and more users of these drugs have reported side effects such as: muscle aches, elevated blood glucose, alterations in mental function, pain and numbness in the fingers and toes, and damage to mitochondria within cells. Many patients have stopped using statins looking for alternative therapies, and left doctors wondering are the benefits of these drugs worth the risks they bring to the lives of their patients?

Dr. Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine read and compared almost 900 statin studies and determined that risk increases with age. She states, “This also helps explain why statins’ benefits have not been found to exceed their risks in those over 70-75 years old, even those with heart disease.” Surprisingly the research shows that older patients may be better off with high cholesterol than with the side effects of statins because of the mitochondrial damage.

Mitochondria are small ‘energy factories’ within each cell of the body. They make energy from food and spin off free radicals. A diet high in fruits and vegetables and other antioxidant-rich foods provide the anti-oxidant protection from these harmful compounds that damage other tissues. When mitochondria are damaged by cholesterol-lowering drugs they produce less energy and create more free radicals.

As statins interfere with cholesterol production they also block production of Coenzyme Q10 which is necessary for mitochondria to produce energy. Golomb stated, “The loss of Q10 leads to loss of cell energy and increased free radicals which, in turn, can further damage mitochondria DNA.” She also found that as mitochondria are damaged the side effects of statins further increases and new side effects arise with long term use.

Unfortunately, Golomb also believes that, “Physician awareness of such side effects is reportedly low. Being vigilant for adverse effects in their patients is necessary in order for doctors to provide informed treatment decisions and improved patient care.”

For many statin dropouts, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has offered a safe and effective alternative to drug therapy that has successfully lowered cholesterol levels.

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Comments (Scroll to the end to leave a comment)

NENA

02/11/10 10:40

I am glad doctors are doing more research on the medications they are prescribing there patient. The majority of patient taking medications don't realize the sideaffects most of there medication givin to them. Articles like these should be giving or read to the patients all the time.

Jane Hensen

02/12/10 07:55

A timely article for me just when I am considering a statin drug to lower my cholesterol. My doctor actually recommended that I work a little harder with my diet to try to bring my cholesterol numbers down. This article gives me more confidence that might work.

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