Statins

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8 Dec 2021

How effective are statins? Who should use them? Articles and videos by Whole Food Plant-Based advocates below.

Dr Greger

Articles by Dr Greger:

Statins
(2015) Why Do Heart Doctors Favor Surgery and Drugs Over Diet?
(2015) Do Cholesterol Statin Drugs Cause Breast Cancer?
(2011) Generic Lipitor is not the answer to our heart disease epidemic
(2016)How Well Do Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Actually Work?
(2022) An Apple a Day May Keep the Pharmacist Away. Excerpt:

Which would save more lives: eating an apple a day or taking statin drugs?

"Choosing apples rather than statins may avoid more than a thousand excess cases of myopathy [muscle damage] and more than 12 000 excess diabetes diagnoses” (because statins increase the risk of diabetes). And, this article was from the UK. In the United States, one would expect five times those numbers. Ironically, though, the cost of apples is likely to be greater than that of statin drugs. (Generic Lipitor is only around 20 cents a day.)"

Videos by Dr Greger:

(2021) How Common Are Muscle Side Effects from Statins?

(7 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Why is the incidence of side effects from statins so low in clinical trials but appear to be so high out in the real world?"

(2021) Who Should Take Statins?

(6 min) Transcript Dr Greger's summary: "How can you calculate your own personal heart disease risk and use it to determine if you should start on a cholesterol-lowering statin drug?"

(2021) Are Doctors Misleading Patients About Statin Risks and Benefits?

(7 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "What is the dirty little secret of drugs for lifestyle diseases? If patients knew the truth of how little these drugs actually worked, almost no one would agree to take them."

(2021) The True Benefits vs. Risks of Statins

(6 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "A Mayo Clinic visualization tool can help you decide if cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are right for you."

Mayo Clinic's visualization tool: Statin Decision Aid by Mayo Clinic. An article by Mayo Clinic: Statins: Are these cholesterol-lowering drugs right for you?

(2021) How Much Longer Do You Live on Statins?

(7 mins) How Much Longer Do You Live on Statins? Dr Greger's summary: "What are the pros and cons of relative risk versus absolute risk versus number-needed-to-treat versus average postponement of death taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs?"

(2021) Can Cholesterol Get Too low?

(7 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Why might healthy lifestyle choices wipe out 90 percent of our risk for having a heart attack, whereas drugs may only reduce risk by 20 to 30 percent?"

(2021) Are PCSK9 Inhibitors Safe and Effective?

(5 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Those with genetic mutations that leave them with an LDL cholesterol of 30 live exceptionally long lives. Can we duplicate that effect with drugs?"

(2015) The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs

(4 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "The medical profession oversells the benefits of drugs for chronic disease since so few patients would apparently take them if doctors divulged the truth." Excerpts:

"The best cholesterol-lowering statin drugs can do here is an absolute risk reduction of 3.1% over six years. A whole foods plant-based diet has been shown to work twenty times better–an absolute risk reduction of 60% after less than four years. Overall, 99.4% of patients who stuck with the diet [Dr Esselstyn's diet] avoided major cardiac events, such as death from heart attack."

(2018) Does an Apple a Day Really Keep the Doctor Away?

(5 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Which would save more lives: eating an apple a day or taking statin drugs?"

(2014) Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells

(3 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Cholesterol appears to stimulate the growth of human breast cancer cells — which may explain why phytosterol-rich foods, such as pumpkin seeds, are associated with reduced breast cancer risk."

This video is not about statins but builds background for the next video below on statins.

(2014) Statin Cholesterol Drugs & Invasive Breast Cancer

(4 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Reducing cholesterol levels may inhibit breast cancer development, but the long-term use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs is associated with more than double the risk of both types of breast cancer: invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma."

(2010) Statin Muscle Toxicity

(3 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Video updated 3/5/2012 to reflect new FDA warning labels citing risks of confusion, memory loss, new onset diabetes, and muscle injury. Even people who don't experience pain or weakness on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be suffering muscle damage."

(2011) Fast Food: Do You Want Fries with That Lipitor?

(3 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Cardiologists suggest that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs be given out free with fast food meals."

Dr John McDougall

(2013) Who Should Take Cholesterol-lowering Statins? Everyone or No One?

(3 mins, 2011) Statins by Dr McDougall

(3 mins, 2013) Cholesterol by Dr McDougall

Dr Joel Fuhrman

(2017) Lower cholesterol healthfully without risky statin drugs

(11 mins, 2020) Effectiveness Of Cholesterol Lowering Methods Including Statins

Dr Ornish

(2002) Statins and the Soul of Medicine by Dr Ornish, editorial, Am J Cardiol, 2002 Jun 1;89(11):1286-90.

Do Statins Affect Your Exercise Performance? at Ornish Lifestyle Medicine. An excerpt:

If you are taking a statin and experiencing symptoms of cramping, aching, fatigue or weakness, it's not in your head.

Dr. Paul Thompson M.D., Chief of Cardiology at Hartford Hospital, recently discussed his findings and the most recent research on Statin Myopathy, a group of side effects commonly associated with the use of statins (i.e., Statin Associated Symptoms or SAS). They include aching, stiffness, cramping, weakness and even inflammation. According to a 2015 study, these side effects frequently begin within four to six weeks of starting statins, but may occur at any time while taking them. The symptoms most frequently occur in large muscle groups like the legs, thighs, and buttocks but can be experienced in any muscle group.

What the Research Says About SAS [Statin Associated Symptoms]

Very few studies have investigated statin use, but Dr. Thompson has observed that weakness and cramping are more common compared to decreased exercise tolerance. Many patients I've worked with in cardiac rehab over the years have experienced cramping and discomfort so severely that exercise became nearly impossible during a critical time in their cardiac recovery. The difficulty lies in determining if these symptoms result from the use of statins or from other causes such as deconditioning, dehydration, or even other medications. Unfortunately there are no guidelines for consumers or for physicians to accurately diagnose SAS.

One area where there is some research is tendon rupture associated with statin use. The research shows that not only does statin use make tendons more vulnerable to rupture, but they also decrease the healing potential of injured tendons. This can be important information to discuss with your physician, especially if you're experiencing sore muscles or tendons from engaging in a sport or exercise. On the positive side, one major study, STOMP, shows no difference in maximal exercise capacity, handgrip, arm or leg strength between the statin group and placebo group.

Other Doctors

(11 mins, 2014) Dr Pam Popper: Dr Esselstyn's Amazing Results; Questioning Statins

(5 mins, 2018) Should You Take A Statin Drug? Is Healthier Diet and Lifestyle Better? Expert Panel

The panel has J Morris Hicks, Dr Pam Popper, Dr Baxter Montgomery, Dr Michale Klaper.

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