Statins Diabetes Increase:
Healthy People Should Take Statins, Media Says
Statins May Increase Risk of Diabetes
by Josh Day
11-10-08
Statins are cholesterol lowering drugs which millions of people take daily.
A recent study, funded by the pharmaceutical makers of the cholersterol-lowering drug Crestor, has exploded on the media scene, ostensibly showing benefits for healthy people with "good" cholesterol levels if they take statins.
If you haven't shut off televised "news" for good, now is a very good time.
After all, this stunt is nothing more than another drug commercial, thinly veiled as a breakthrough.
Bill Sardi, author of You Don't Have to Be Afraid of Cancer Anymore, states:
Americans are being bombarded today by news reports of a breakthrough in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure). The hype is undeserved, the data less than compelling, and when it came to whether the statin drug used in the study (Crestor) actually saved lives, the headlines should have said the drug trial failed and that it raised the risk for diabetes. (Sardi)
Now check out the headlines...
CNN:
Healthy men and women with good cholesterol levels could significantly reduce their risk of heart disease by taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, better known as statins, according to a study released Sunday. (cnn.com)
Guess who funded the study?
The makers of Crestor, which was used in the study.
Sardi:
The drug companies now assert that normally healthy people should now take statin drugs, even if they have low-to-normal cholesterol levels, because Crestor reduced C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation. This claim would expand the use of statin drugs to millions more Americans and reel in billions of dollars of sales for the maker of Crestor. [...] Major efforts will likely be made to promote Crestor on TV, prodding healthy people with normal cholesterol levels to begin taking a drug known to cause liver toxicity and muscle problems, a drug that costs $3.45 per day ($1259 a year). (Sardi)
In contrast, one could take simple vitamin C and E as a precautionary measure, which is not toxic to the liver as is Crestor, according to Sardi.
Sardi adds:
The 4-year study of 18,000 patients was stopped suddenly prior to the 2-year mark because it allegedly showed startling improvements in cardiovascular health. But generally studies are halted when greater risk is identified. Halting the study prematurely may have hidden the occurrence of the characteristic side effects caused by the drug (liver toxicity and muscle problems). The drug also increased the risk for diabetes, which represents disease substitution, not disease prevention. (Sardi)
Reminds me of similar big studies funded by pharmaceutical industries with conclusions based on fuzzy math and statistical trickery.
I wonder how many people will trust this new "study," in the wake of Vioxx?
11/17/08 Update
Well, well, look what we have here.
Turns out another study has been published supposedly debunking vitamins C and E and their preventative benefits when it comes to cancers and heart disease.
Very nice timing. How convenient that this comes out right after the above study, encouraging healthy people to take dangerous statins.
The Washington Post:
SUNDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Coming on the heels of two studies discounting the usefulness of vitamin B, folic acid, vitamin D and calcium supplements for cancer prevention, U.S. researchers report that vitamins C and E supplements won't help prevent cancer, either.
The same team also recently reported that vitamin C and E supplements weren't helpful in protecting users against heart disease.
"At least in the context of two very common outcomes -- cardioprotection and chemoprevention -- we see no compelling evidence to take vitamin E or C supplements," said one of the study's authors, Dr. Howard Sesso, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
In fairness, the article acknowledged the importance of nutrition:
"This is preliminary data, but it is pretty consistent with what we're seeing in other research with individual nutrients. When you take the nutrient out of its natural environment, it may not be protective," said Jennifer Crum, a nutritionist at the New York University Cancer Institute, who added that in foods, vitamins and other nutrients likely work together to provide protection against cancer.
"People are starting to realize the importance of the overall picture," said Crum, who recommended that people begin by making small changes, such as exercising a little bit longer or adding another vegetable a day to your diet. "When people make small changes for their health -- exercising for 20 to 30 minutes a day, eating better -- we see lower rates of cancer recurrence," she said.
A well-rounded diet and lifestyle with daily sunshine and exercise is still the best prescription for a healthy life.
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