When statins first appeared in pharmacies around the country, they seemed like a miracle drug. Some doctors even suggested that these drugs should be added to drinking water because they appeared to be so effective without the side effects. But, this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a health alert requiring statin drugs to carry labels warning about possible side
effects, including confusion, memory loss, elevated blood sugar levels, and muscle weakness.
After the discovery of antibiotics, statins — touted for their cholesterol-busting ability — have been the best-selling prescription drug in the world. While it is true that these drugs have well-documented benefits for heart disease in many groups of patients at moderate and high cardiovascular risk, a recent study says statins are harmful for those who don’t fall into these categories.
The research team that conducted the study is now concerned because some health authorities are currently pushing for the anti-cholesterol drugs to be added to the public water supply. The researchers point out that statins have shown that they can actually have a detrimental effect on the health of people without high cholesterol or heart disorders.
The research team asserts that statins should be prescribed only to those patients with heart disease, or who have suffered the condition in the past. They warn that, unless a patient is at high risk of heart attack or stroke, statins may cause more harm than good.
The allure of taking statins is that, if you take the drugs, you can supposedly eat all the fatty foods you want without ever having to worry about high cholesterol levels and, consequently, the health of your heart. So, even if you don’t have heart disease, go ahead and take the drug anyway, just to protect yourself — at least this is what the drug companies that produce statins have been hoping for.
But now that the FDA has weighed in on the issue, it’s likely that statins won’t be added to your drinking water anytime soon — which is just as well. You are better off avoiding prescription side effects like memory loss and elevated blood sugar levels that could lead to type 2 diabetes, opting for a healthy diet instead. Keeping your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels in check with healing foods is definitely the way to go.
For more on statins and their side effects, read The Hidden Cause of Your Fatigue.