The researchers in this Penn State study analyzed data from a database of over 50 million people, 22,000 of whom had Parkinson’s disease. Of that sample, they reduced it to 2,322 patients with new diagnoses of Parkinson’s. Then, they paired each person within the sample size to another individual without Parkinson’s, and those people made up the control group.
Researchers then established which patients had been taking Statins and how long they’d been taking them for before they developed Parkinson’s symptoms. Their findings suggested that prior Statin use resulted in a higher risk of Parkinson’s and, interestingly enough, “was more noticeable during the start of the drug use.”
“Statin use was associated with higher, not lower, Parkinson’s disease risk, and the association was more noticeable for lipophilic statins, an observation inconsistent with the current hypothesis that these statins protect nerve cells,” explained one of the researchers, Xuemei Huang, Ph.D.. “In addition, this association was most robust for use of statins less than two-and-a-half years, suggesting that statins may facilitate the onset of Parkinson’s disease.”
Other Health Issues Related to Statins
It’s not just Parkinson’s that relates to Statins, either. These drugs can have a whirlwind of side effects and increase one’s risk of developing a number of different diseases. Since Statins block the body’s production of CoQ10, taking Statins can result in fatal muscle inflammation as well as congestive heart failure (which is ironic given that many heart disease patients take them).
Another study published in Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology revealed that, despite Statin drugs being marketed for their ability to decrease the artery disease called atherosclerosis, they may actually stimulate it and cause heart failure.
Another study published in the American Journal of Physiology found that some of the effects of Statins advance the process of aging, and pointed out that long term use of Statins have been associated with several adverse health effects including myopathy (skeletal muscle weakness), neurological issues, and an increased risk of diabetes.
The researchers stated: “In addition, considering their possible side effects, long-term adherence to statin treatment poses a potential risk, especially among individuals without cardiovascular disease. The primary use of statins should be critically assessed, especially when considering the potential risks associated with statin use.”
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