Continuous inflammation in our bodies from the foods we eat is a serious concern.  In the U.S., a person’s average diet is excessively high in flour, sugar, and bad fats, including trans-unsaturated fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids.  Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including type-2 diabetes, occurs because of this persistent inflammatory state. It is unsurprising that 25% of Americans older than 45 are prescribed statins.

A study published in 2008 gave medical doctors the rationalization for prescribing statin therapy for any individual who has evidence of an inflammatory condition.  Known as the JUPITER study or Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention, this patient trial resulted in the concept of “statins for all” to the mainstream consciousness of medical personnel. Most M.D.s believe that if you have elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for inflammation, regardless if you exercise, are thin, don’t smoke, or have low cholesterol, you still are a candidate for statin therapy.  A patent having a blood cholesterol level of >199 mg/dL is a definite reason for their prescribing of statins.

This JUPITER trial used 8,901 participants with ages from 60-71 and a median overweight body mass index (BMI) of 28.  Patients were placed in treatment and placebo groups and followed for close to 2 years.  Those taking statins had 141 major CVD events compared to 251 events in the placebo group.  Statistically, this amounted to a 98.4% chance of not having a CVD event in the statin group versus a 97.2% chance of not having an event in the placebo group.  This difference was only 1%, yet this study was acclaimed for its success in showing the benefit of statin therapy in reducing fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events.  But, it must be asked:  Is a 1% reduction in these problems worth the potential side effects?

A 16-year study, called the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis or MESA led by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, ended in 2015.  It used 7,000 individuals who mirrored the type of patients in the JUPITER trial.  Results showed that only those patients with advanced atherosclerosis, i.e., thickening and narrowing of the heart arteries with calcified plaques, benefited from statin therapy.  This study’s underlying conclusion was that statin drugs are over-prescribed.

When on statin therapy, the most common side effect is an abnormal condition of the skeletal muscle, called myopathy.  The symptoms include muscle weakness, heaviness, stiffness, cramps, and pain.  If severe, this can lead to a condition called rhabdomyolysis.  This occurs when harmful chemicals are released by damaged muscle into the circulation which can cause a life-threatening kidney problem.  Other side effects include irritability, aggression, fatigue, memory loss, cognitive defects, nerve damage, and erectile dysfunction.  It is also known that statins can lead to liver disease and Alzheimer’s disease.  It is estimated that 5% of those on statin therapy will develop serious side effects.

During the initial treatment with statins, many people do experience muscular symptoms.  These usually resolve within 2 weeks.  An immediate risk for persistent muscle symptoms can include the following: age over 80 years, females with a low BMI, major surgery or trauma, infections, multisystem diseases, such as diabetes, and excessive consumption of grapefruit or cranberry juice.  Muscular pain most commonly occurs in the large muscles of the thighs.  Those who are physically active are more likely to experience symptoms than will sedentary individuals.  A person who has a family history of muscle complaints or has experienced muscle symptoms when taking other medications is more likely to be subject to statin toxicity.  It has also been noted that those with a history of chronic low back pain can experience exacerbations when starting statin therapy.

In 2012, the FDA issued a warning that consuming a statin can cause memory loss and confusion when beginning the drug until many years after, regardless of one’s age.  Of important note is that statins can cause excess sugar to remain in the blood, called hyperglycemia, which increases the risk of developing type-2 diabetes.  It is estimated that 1 in 255 individuals using statins will develop diabetes.

In March 2017, an analysis in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health was published in the medical journal Drugs and Aging.  8,372 Australian women between the ages of 76 and 82 were followed for 10 years.  Half of the participants took statins, while the other half took a placebo, for an average of 6.5 years.  5% of the women on statins were diagnosed with a new onset of diabetes.  This disease proved to have a dose effect: The risk of diabetes was 17% when on the lowest dose and 51% when on the highest dose.  It was estimated that for every 5 years of treatment with statins, 131 individuals would acquire diabetes. Thus, it was determined that in elderly women on statins, the risk of acquiring diabetes was 33%, and the higher the dose, the greater the risk.