Many patients with heart disease are prescribed statin drugs as a treatment. Statin drugs work by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase. HMG-CoA reductase is an enzyme that regulates cholesterol levels in your body.
Statin drugs help to lower your LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels and increase your HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels, which decreases the risk of heart attack. They are taken by millions of Americans at considerable cost.
Statin drugs can cost between $2.50 and $5.00 for a single pill. This can mean a monthly cost of somewhere between $75 and $150. Some doctors and public health advisors are concerned that may people turn to statin drugs without first adopting a healthy diet and exercise routine.
Now a new study suggests that taking statin drugs may not actually be worth the price in terms of health benefits.
A research team from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center studied the data from several thousand heart patients. They discovered that patients with stable heart disease got little benefit from taking higher doses of statin drugs.
These patients saw only an additional 5 weeks of improved quality of life. This was in contrast to patients that had recently suffered a heart attack or were hospitalized with chest pain. These patients received on average 4 additional months of improved quality of life. The study seems to suggest that for most patients with stable heart disease, high doses of statins are not worth the extra cost.
Also statin drugs can cause a number of side effects which may increase as the dose is increased. Some common side effects are: headache, dizziness, heartburn, constipation, nausea, skin rash, abdominal pain, hoarseness, or runny nose. Talk to your health care provider if you are taking statin drugs and have any of these symptoms.
If you’re looking for alternative treatments for high cholesterol levels, remember diet can play a big role in keeping LDL levels low. LDL levels can be reduced by 7 to 12 % by getting rid of most saturated fats from your diet. The American Heart Association makes the following recommendations:
– 4 servings of vegetables a day — 4 servings of fruit a day — choose whole grains — 2 servings of fish a week — a diet that includes non-saturated fats like olive and canola oil — little or no salt Red wine, green tea, garlic and grapefruit have all been shown to reduce cholesterol levels as well.
Next Post: New Way to Fix Dry Eyes
Previous Post: Human Insulin Can Be Made From Safflowers
Tags: Cholesterol, Heart Attack
