Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Can Kill You

• One in four Americans over the age of 45 take a statin drug to reduce their cholesterol. Most are prescribed a statin as a primary prevention strategy against heart attack and stroke
• In one recent study, statin use was associated with a 52 percent increased prevalence and extent of calcified coronary plaque compared to non-users
• A second study showed type 2 diabetics with advanced atherosclerosis who are frequent statin users have significantly higher amounts of coronary artery calcification compared to less frequent users of the drug
• Statins have been shown to significantly increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.In one study, statins increased the risk of type 2 diabetics in postmenopausal women by 48 percent
• Adverse effects of statin drugs include muscle problems, nerve damage in hands and feet, immune depression, pancreas and liver dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, cataracts, memory loss, and an increased risk of cancer
• If you’re on a statin drug, you must take at least 100-200 mg of ubiquinol or CoQ10 per day as statins deplete your body of CoQ10

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Statins are the world’s most-prescribed class of medications. A staggering one in four Americans over the age of 45 now take cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Pravachol, Mevacor, Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, and others. A majority of them are taking these drugs for primary prevention of heart attacks and strokes.

However, mounting research suggests this could be a critical mistake.

Most recently, two separate studies have concluded that progression of coronary artery calcification, which is the hallmark of potentially lethal heart disease, is INCREASED with statin drug use.

Statins Increase Prevalence of Coronary Calcification by More than 50 Percent!

A new study in the journal Atherosclerosis¹ shows that statin use is associated with a 52 percent increased prevalence and extent of calcified coronary plaque compared to non-users. None of the participants in the study – 6,673 in all – had any known coronary artery disease at the time of undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA) – a non-invasive method that allows you to see coronary atherosclerotic features, including plaque composition.

Arterial plaque is a hallmark of cardiovascular disease and increases your risk of all-cause mortality, so clearly, anything that increases calcification and stiffening of your arteries is wisely avoided. And statins seem to fall into this category.

These disturbing findings come right on the heels of another study published in the journal Diabetes Care,² which discovered that type 2 diabetics with advanced atherosclerosis who are frequent statin users have significantly higher amounts of coronary artery calcification compared to less frequent users of the drug.

Furthermore, in a subgroup of participants who initially were not receiving statins, progression of both coronary artery calcification as well as abdominal aortic artery calcification was significantly increased when they began frequent statin use.

The authors concluded that:

“More frequent statin use is associated with accelerated coronary artery calcification in T2DM patients with advanced atherosclerosis.”

So much for statins being the answer for diabetics… Diabetes is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is why many diabetics are prescribed a statin drug to reduce their risk. Alas, as these studies show, statins actually accelerate the progression of disease!

Making matters worse, statins have also been shown to significantly increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes³ if you don’t have it already. This is a risk everyone needs to be aware of. In one study, statins increased the risk of type 2 diabetics in postmenopausal women by 48 percent.

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