Doctors say statins, the most widely prescribed type of cholesterol-lowering drugs, have prevented millions of heart attacks and saved countless lives. But a new study published in the 'Journal of the American College of Cardiology' found that these meds, including Lipitor, may also counteract the benefits of exercise, the other tried-and-true way to boost cardiac health.
Researchers started a small group of overweight, sedentary adults at risk of developing high cholesterol or blood pressure on a 12-week aerobic program. They also put half of the patients on simvastatin, sold commercially as Zocor. By the study's end, the exercise-only group's VO2 Max, a measure of aerobic fitness, had increased 10 percent, while the group also taking simvastatin had only seen a 1.5 percent improvement. The statin users' muscle function also decreased 4.5 percent while the first group's shot up 13 percent.
"Our research suggests that statins block exercise's ability to increase mitochondria, which are the powerhouses of the cell and where oxygen is consumed and converted to energy so that muscles can contract," explains senior study author John Thyfault, professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri. "Typically, exercise increases mitochondrial content in muscle, which allows for improved fitness."
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