Statin Drugs Stimulate Atherosclerosis and Heart Failure

Are you ready for another shocker? A separate study published in Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology revealed that, in contrast to the current belief that cholesterol reduction with statins decreases atherosclerosis, the drugs may instead actually stimulate atherosclerosis and heart failure.5

There were several physiological mechanisms discussed in the study that show how statin drugs may make your heart health worse:6

• Inhibit vitamin K2 function: Vitamin K2 protects your arteries from calcification. Without it, plaque levels worsen. Statin drugs inhibit the function of vitamin K2 in your body.
• Mitochondria damage: Statins are toxic to the energy centers of your cells, called mitochondria. They impair heart muscle mitochondria function, disrupt ATP production (adenosine triphospate, the energy molecules of your body), and alter intracellular signaling proteins.7
• Interfere with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10): Statins deplete your body of CoQ10, which accounts for many of their devastating results. Although it was proposed to add a black box warning to statins stating this, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided against it in 2014.
• Interfere with selenium-containing proteins: Selenoproteins such as glutathione peroxidase are crucial for preventing oxidative damage in your muscle tissue. As reported by Wellness Resources:8

“Blocking the selenoprotein enzyme glutathione peroxidase is akin to pouring gasoline on the fire of inflammation and free radicals, which damages muscle tissue. In fact, the scientists described this blocking of the selenoproteins reminiscent of selenium deficiency induced heart failure, known as Keshan’s disease first identified in the 1930s.”

Considering the significant risks, the authors concluded:9 “...the epidemic of heart failure and atherosclerosis that plagues the modern world may paradoxically be aggravated by the pervasive use of statin drugs. We propose that current statin treatment guidelines be critically reevaluated.”

They Don’t Work for Parkinson’s Disease Either

Stain makers have attempted to position them as some sort of panacea for many diseases, one of which is Parkinson’s disease. Past research by Xuemei Huang, professor of neurology and vice chair for research at Penn State College of Medicine, suggested a link between high cholesterol levels and lower rates of Parkinson’s, yet some epidemiological evidence suggested a lower risk of Parkinson’s associated with statin use. In a new study conducted by Huang and colleagues, he attempted to find out if the lowered incidence of Parkinson’s could indeed be due to statins.

The results? Statins were not protective of Parkinson’s and, instead, were associated with an increased risk.10  Further, high total cholesterol and LDL were associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. The study concluded, “Statin use may be associated with a higher PD [Parkinson’s disease] risk, whereas higher total cholesterol may be associated with lower risk.” As for why past studies may have shown a link between statins and a lower Parkinson’s risk, Huang suggested:11

“One possibility, is that statin use can be a marker of people who have high cholesterol, which itself may be associated with lower [Parkinson's] risk. This could explain why some studies have found an association between use of these medications and low incidence of [Parkinson's]. Most importantly, this purported benefit may not be seen over time."

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