The ABC’s Of Cholesterol Part IV – Keep Levels Healthy With Quality All Natural Supplements

Author: Dr. Gregory

How do Statins work?
(THP) Statins are actually a 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase or HMGR. This is a 25 cent term to identify a drug [HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors] that will suppress the enzyme or the metabolic pathway that produces cholesterol. A statin drug targets the enzyme. If you eliminate the enzyme, you lower the cholesterol. The medical perspective is to lower serum cholesterol as a means of reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Simple in theory, but short in application. Recall just three basic biological facts. 1) our body requires cholesterol, it is essential!; 2) the body makes up to 80% of its cholesterol for this very reason; and, 3) cholesterol is required for all of the steroid hormones that we need to function.

Now we have what is typically referred to as a paradox. On one hand, IF a person was to have too much BAD cholesterol, they are subject to a host of potential heart disease issues. On the other hand, what is glossed over in the medical models is that IF you were to drop your cholesterol levels too low, then your essential biological functions are impaired!

So maybe, just maybe, there is more to this than just the “BAD cholesterol” must be lowered. Let’s now look a little closer at the ‘statin’ drugs……

Statin’s and Adverse Effects.
Statin drugs do a lot! Specifically addressing the cholesterol level in the body, statins act by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. This enzyme controls the first committed step of sterol (cholesterol) synthesis, in the liver. Because of their similarity to HMG-CoA on a molecular level, statins take the place of HMG-CoA in the enzyme. This action reduces the rate by which it is able to produce the next molecule [mevalonate] in the process to make cholesterol as well as a number of other compounds.

These same drugs are also known to inhibit the body’s production of coenzyme Q10 [CoQ10]. The enzyme pathway that the body uses in the creation of cholesterol, is the same pathway that is needed to manufacture CoQ10. This biochemical is needed for the most important transfer of energy from our food to our cells.

Coenzyme Q10 is present in most tissues, but the highest concentrations are found in the heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Obviously the medical community places some value on this coenzyme because the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) information summary provides an overview of the use of CoQ10 in cancer therapy. But this knowledge is somehow ignored when anyone is dealing with the potential usage of a statin.

Statin causes heart disease. Another often overlooked fact by physicians is that patients taking statins become depleted in Coenzyme Q10, which leads to fatigue, muscle weakness, soreness and heart failure. This may be where the terminology, “the cure is worse than the disease” comes from.

Simultaneously, while lowering these necessary enzyme activities, the current research indicates that statins also activate what is called the atrogin-1 gene. This gene plays a role in muscle atrophy or muscle deterioration. In separate tests, and using low concentrations of statin drugs, the activation of the atrogin-1 gene induced muscle damage. Increased muscle damage was noted with the increased concentration of the statin. It should not be overlooked that the heart is a muscle!

A further interesting point from Swiss research indicates that statins suppress the immune system cells knows as Helper T-cells. These Help T-cells act by recognizing foreign pathogens and then activating the production of the proper T and/or B cells in response. Additional studies on the national level have found that low cholesterol is actually associated with adverse behavioral effects such as aggression and depression.

The theory emerging is that cholesterol levels may influence serotonin, the neurotransmitter in the brain that has been linked to depression. However the jury is still out on exactly how the cholesterol level triggers the depression or aggression.

Now that we have just this basic information about the necessity of these essential enzyme components, one might ask, What is the medical position on the administration of such statin drugs? Well, the medical community states that statins are generally well-tolerated and have only a few major side effects that occur. The most common major ‘side effects’ are raised liver enzymes, skeletal muscle pain and/or damage. (Of course you can die from consuming this drug as you can from any drug.)

Some patients on statin therapy have reported a series of issues. Some report myalgias, muscle cramps, gastrointestinal or other similar symptoms. Liver enzyme derangements may also occur as well as other side-effects. Speaking of the muscle cramps, aches and pains that patients often complain about – it is worth pointing out again that the heart is a muscle! Just in case you missed this point, here’s a little more information .

More serious reactions include myositis (muscle weakness) and myopathy (persistent pain), with the potential for rhabdomolysis (the pathological breakdown of skeletal muscle) leading to acute renal failure and death.
Remember that in 2001, after 31 people died from rhabdomolysis, Bayer’s statin (Baycol) was taken off the market. Currently, about 12 million Americans are using one of the available statins. The expert’s clearly recommend that another 23 to 40 million SHOULD be taking them.

Current available scientific literature link combing statins with other drugs with being even more lethal. Combinations such as a drug used to prevent blood clotting, warfarin; and an antifungal drug, ketoconazole; and the antibiotic, clarithromycin as leading to rhabdomyolysis.

If this is enough to get people to rethink the use of statins, then the relative animal experiments might. In most animal experiments using statins, as well as most other cholesterol-lowering drugs, cancer developed in the animal that was the brunt of the experiment. Might their possibly be a slight probability of the same results in humans?

At this point we want to take a different, more natural approach to the cholesterol issue. Let us first review what might be the cause of the cholesterol issue.

As we contemplate the implications of statins and how they impact a person, In PART V we want to gain a greater appreciation for just what is responsible for the high cholesterol and how that relates to heart disease. We also want to look at some other components that are often overlooked as they relate directly with cardiovascular or arterial issues.

To learn more about quality supplementation and how it can keep cholesterol levels healthy click here >>