Natural Society – by Robert Harrington
A recent study from Finland suggests that cholesterol-lowering drugs known as Statins may increase ones risk of developing the highly-preventable Type 2 diabetes by a startling 50% – even after adjusting for other factors. With the widespread use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, this news is not what many folks will want to hear.
A 50% higher risk for Type 2 diabetes is a quite unfavorable consequence for those who are ‘reliant’ on statins for blood pressure or plaque buildup throughout the circulatory system. However, due to the many other conditions that can occur with diabetes, this correlation must be taken seriously. Particularly for the elderly who have very little diet discipline, the results of this important study ought to serve as a major wakeup call.
It should be noted that some of the conclusions of this study read like the worst case scenario specifically for white men since the control group was made up of exclusively Caucasian males.
“Statins appear to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in several ways, the researchers said. One is that the drugs can increase a person’s insulin resistance, and the other is that the cholesterol-lowering drugs seem to impair the ability of the pancreas to secrete insulin, according to the report.” [1]
Type 2 diabetes is already a major medical condition affecting well over 29 million people in the United States. With the advancement of age, the incidence rises very quickly. Significantly, there are many folks who are actually pre-diabetic or undiagnosed diabetics and who are also on statins. They especially need to be aware that the longer the period of statin use, the greater the potential likelihood that Type 2 diabetes will develop.
The data of the aforementioned study seems to suggest that any individual who has a personal or family history of “impaired glucose tolerance” ( also known as pre-diabetes) ought to be very wary of using statins to control BP or lower cholesterol. Certainly the prescribing physician should be properly informed if there is a family history of blood sugar problems.
“If your risk for heart disease is high, the benefit of statin therapy is so important that most physicians and most patients, when it’s explained to them, will be willing to incur the increased risk of diabetes in favor of the added benefit to preventing heart attack and stroke,” Goldberg said.
Dr. Alan Garber, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, said that statin users with blood sugar levels beginning to creep up can likely head off type 2 diabetes through diet and exercise. Garber is the editor of the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. [1]
Delicate Balancing Act Between Heart Health and Sugar Balance
There is no question that both doctor and patient can be put into a demanding predicament the more diabetes becomes a reality for a heart attack or stroke patient. The tradeoff between the two treatment regimes will undoubtedly present choices which will be as conflicting as it is challenging.
However, there is a way out for those who are confronted by this as well as by similar competing health challenges. That way out concerns the serious consideration of positive changes in lifestyle, as well as of natural treatments. Toward that end, diet and exercise are the best places to start since each can contribute to the mitigation of both conditions.
The only realistic way to deal with this medical conundrum is to adopt some fundamental dietary changes. Reducing red meat intake and embracing a plant-based diet would be especially helpful. Engaging in an exercise regimen that will systematically encourage weight loss, heart rate reduction, and blood pressure moderation would also assist toward a durable resolution.
Sources:
[1] WebMDRead more: http://naturalsociety.com/medical-alert-statins-linked-to-50-increased-risk-of-type-2-diabetes/#ixzz3aixiAq3B
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Vodka destroys cholesterol, but a doctor can’t make money by telling you that, so they’ll sell you drugs that cause diabetes instead.
Hey JR that’s interesting, would like to see some documentation on that.
wow… it’s something I’ve known for decades, so I would have to start searching for documentation, but ALL alcoholic beverages will do that.
Alcohol isn’t digested. It’s absorbed into the bloodstream right through the walls of the stomach when you drink it, and it breaks up cholesterol chemically (dissolves it) once its there.
Just check the cholesterol level of any heavy drinker you know, and regardless of his diet, his cholesterol will be very low.
Why statins will destroy your brain
You may know that cholesterol is needed for your body to produce vitamin D, steroid and sex-hormone production, and for healthy cell membranes. You also may know that statins can lower your cholesterol so far that your body can’t make these vital nutrients. But did you know that statins will also impair your cognitive function as you age?
It’s true! Your liver isn’t the only organ in your body that produces cholesterol. Your brain makes it as well. Cholesterol makes up a large portion of the membranes in your neurons. Since neurons are mostly membranes, a lack of cholesterol might impair their function. I predicted years ago that research would eventually connect low cholesterol to poor memory and overall brain function. And now we have the proof.
Researchers recently performed a study on 1,181 subjects over the age of 64. They found that low levels of cholesterol significantly lower general cognitive abilities. They also found that low cholesterol reduces your brain’s processing speed. The authors agreed that lower total cholesterol is a strong marker for predicting lower cognitive function in those over 64.
This should be on the front page of every newspaper in the country. But with Pharma owning the health news that spoon-feeds most Americans, it’s buried. But Second Opinion readers know better. You won’t let them bamboozle you into dropping your total cholesterol below 170 with drugs.
In fact, unless you have a hereditary disorder of really high cholesterol (over 270), I would be wary about any statin use altogether. The doctors want to cut off the enzyme in your liver that makes cholesterol. With the same enzyme making essential cholesterol in your brain, you might trade “doctor happy” ultra-low cholesterol for a “personally sad” case of cognitive decline. Dr.Wallach Cholesterol is your friend, inflamation of your arteries caused from eating fried foods, consuming lots of sugar on a daily basics, intake of bad Hydrogenated oils that we may cook with or consume in our processed foods. Eating deli slices of meat that have Nitrates all lead to Coronary Heart Disease. Bring on the Eggs and Butter love my Cholesterol!
My husband had a heart attack in Oct. of last year. I send him every link I read here on statins yet he will not stop taking them. He has two Dr.’s in his family and was a Corpsman for 22 yrs. I don’t know what else to do, this drug is so bad yet he will not stop taking it.
That is a tough one, Misty. I’m sorry to hear of your husband’s heart attack. My family members who are taking statins trust their doctors and think I’m crazy, yet I’m the only one in the family who is healthy and takes no pharmaceuticals whatsoever. While they have all sorts of health problems and quickly acquiesce to all sorts of interventions including health-destroying cancer treatments and drugs. You are right; I don’t know how to cut through that wall of refusal to see and hear the truth. It’s maddening.
I’ve tried to think, what is the difference between them and me? I have figured out, I am a highly truth-seeking person whose ego is not caught up in “being right.” I am always doing my own research and come at every subject from many angles. I am aware that indoctrination methods are being employed. I am aware that there are profit and control motivations. So I try always to consider those factors, whenever I come across information. The statin takers I know, are not stupid people. They just are highly trusting of “experts.” I have a lot of highly intelligent friends who are not willing to change their entrenched positions for fear of ridicule; I do not have that fear, myself, if it means discovering uncomfortable truths. So those are a few differences.
Other factors are that I have always wanted to be healthy and energetic, because from an early age I have observed that people without health problems enjoy life a lot more, and are more pleasant to be around. I have wanted to know what it is about such people, so that I could do that too. For me, it boils down to this: do I want to feel (and be) healthy, or would I rather keep doing harmful things to my body and create illness? The answer is obviously that I want to be healthy. So I work in that direction. I have had family members tell me that they would rather eat unhealthy but tasty food and “enjoy life” and take drugs to cover up symptoms of the health problems caused by the food, than switch to a healthy diet and feel well naturally. They seem to have no idea that “feeling well” is a wonderful motivation, and eating healthy can be very tasty! I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t like it.
Another consideration is the finances of it. I have never been so wealthy that I can afford to go to doctors and take their medicines and do their recommended procedures. So I have a financial incentive to be free of all of that. That led me to learn on my own all kinds of useful things about nutrition and natural healing. This path eventually took me outside the mainstream.
The bottom line is, I have pursued this — I was not the recipient of any lecture from anyone. No one urged me to adopt my health habits — I have gone after this on my own because it is an extreme interest of mine, and I was attracted to this. And also, I have no fear and a lot of faith. The more I go in this direction, the more I know it is working. And the other direction is not for me.
But it is very hard and very sad for me to observe my previously healthy family and friends, now that we are all older, having all kinds of health issues and being on multiple medications.