Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Statin Confusion Continues

Why might low LDL-cholesterol levels be a risk factor for mortality? The authors point out that cholesterol can alter the functioning of certain inflammatory substances (including C-reactive protein and cytokines), and therefore low-cholesterol might lead to a more inflammatory state (which is not healthy).
One very interesting thing about this study was that it found that mortality across the groups was no different in individuals not treated with statins. What this suggests is that statins might be having a direct effect that is harmful to the hearts and health of individuals with heart failure.
http://www.drbriffa.com/2014/01/31/statins-associated-with-increased-risk-of-death-in-those-with-heart-failure/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+drbriffa%2FsOZf+%28Dr+Briffa%27s+Blog+-+A+Good+Look+at+Good+Health%29

Not easy to make a lot from this summary of the study except it flies in the face of the conventional wisdom about what statins are good for.  Be healthy - it sucks less than being sick.  

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