Statins are a class of prescription drugs that helps lower cholesterol. Their job is to block the enzyme that the body uses to make cholesterol in the liver.
For years doctors have advised healthy patients to stop using these drugs and take up more exercise and a healthier lifestyle. However, only recently has evidence come to light that Statins are not pulling their weight. Some claim that the benefits of the taking these drugs are ‘over-exaggerated’.
So What Are The Benefits & Side Effects Of Taking Statins?
Benefits
- Lower cholesterol
- Lower the risk of heart attack
- Lowers blood pressure
Side Effects
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Aches and pains
- Type 2 diabetes
- Confusion and memory loss
- Liver, muscle or kidney damage
Alternate Ways To Lower Cholesterol
Eating foods that contain soluble fibre can help lower the risk of vessel disease and high cholesterol. Also fatty fish, nuts, olives, stanols (yoghurt, orange juice).
Smoking decreases cholesterol levels, increases blood pressure and increases the risk of a heart attack.
Exercise – a no brainer. Walking, biking, swimming and anything else that gets your heart pumping will improve your cholesterol.
The Study On Statins
As doctors have recently found that just 1 in 200 patients using Statins actually benefit from the drug, it’s a much safer bet to plan an active and engaging lifestyle than it is to rely on statins.
While it is true that some patients need Statin drugs, many of those who were prescribed didn’t need it and could instead rely on a better lifestyle choice. Doctors said that 80% of cardiovascular disease risk is linked to lifestyle. So if patients do experience some of the side effects listed above, they should not worry about stopping the drugs.
A Daily Mail article published last year talks about a 72 year old man who took the ‘orange tablets his doctor had prescribed him’ for 3 years. He decided to stop taking the tablets and as a result the aches and pains disappeared within 7 days.
Originally statin drugs were prescribed for secondary prevention. They were used to prevent a second heart attack or stroke for those who had signs of heart disease.
Today, most people are not taking the drugs for primary prevention. It’s now being used as a preventive medicine to prevent those with certain risk factors of heart disease, who are healthy, from having their first heart attack or stroke.