Statins for everyone! (Then again, maybe not.)
A study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that some people with normal cholesterol levels may benefit from taking cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins), even more than those with elevated cholesterol do!
What are we looking at here?
In addition to lowering cholesterol, statins also turn out to have potent anti-inflammatory actions. For those with systemic inflammation, statins appear to dramatically lower the risk of heart attack and stroke--not by lowering cholesterol but by reducing inflammation.
Paul Ridker, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, is quoted in this summary of the study from NPR.:
"When I, as a cardiologist, prescribe statins to patients with high cholesterol, I do so because I believe they'll lower the risk of a heart attack or stroke by about 20 or 25 percent. What's so remarkable in these new data is that the risk reduction in patients with [with normal cholesterol levels but elevated inflammation makers] is 45 to 50 percent — almost twice as effective."
How many people are affected by systemic inflammation?
Systemic inflammation is actually quite common and usually has no symptoms. It can be measured with an inexpensive blood test for C-reactive protein, or CRP. If you are overweight (even a little) your CRP levels are very likely to be elevated.
I don't usually give stock tips in this blog but, you can see where this is heading, right? Drug companies will now be arguing that statins should be prescribed to everyone over 50--regardless of their cholesterol levels. But statins are not without drawbacks, which include high cost and side effects.
If only there were a safer, cheaper alternative. Oh wait, there is.
Interestingly, another study just out this week from finds that supplementing with 1000mg of vitamin C is slightly more effective in reducing CRP levels (when they are elevated) than statins. Vitamin C is obviously far less expensive and doesn't come with a long list of side effects, potentially dangerous drug interactions, and other risks.
The vitamin C study is especially interesting in the wake of new results from The Physician's Health Study II that found that vitamin C supplements had no effect on heart attack risk. (It's been a big week!) However, it should be pointed out that the dosage used in the Physician's Health Study was only 500mg--and the CRP levels of the subjects were not included in the analysis.
My take-home from the week's news:
- Knowing your CRP level is at least important as knowing your cholesterol level
- Lowering elevated CRP levels appears to dramatically reduce risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Reducing elevated CRP levels has a bigger impact on risk than lowering elevated cholesterol.
- Vitamin C, in sufficient dosages, appears to be a safe and inexpensive way to lower elevated CRP levels.
- The anti-inflammatory effects of 1000mg Vitamin C are comparable to the anti-inflammatory effects of 20mg of Crestor.
Any thoughts or reactions?
 older posts |
home | newer posts  |
| Avoiding peanuts may be causing more peanut allergies | | Nutrition Data Blog | | Analyzing recipes: accounting for unused ingredients |
Posted by: Frederick R Rawlins | Mar 9, 2009 12:40:26 PM
One of the latest reseach projects on statins has stated that the statin drugs are causing men to begin having dementia in their 50's! When Tthis starting new finding is added to the damage that statins can cause to your liver and the loss of CQ10 that it destroys it's time to reevaluate the side effects. When you suppress the cholesterol output of the liver, which makes 85% of your cholesterol, you run a high risk of liver damage. CQ10 is vital for every cell to produce energy in the mitocondria. The longer you are on statins the less energy you will have! I know I was on them for almost three years. There are two natural remedies for high cholesterol that are safe and effective. First is pomegranate which stimulates the production of nitric oxide in you body. Nitric oxide was shown in studies by Dr. Louis Ignarro, for which he received the nobel peace prize, to break up hardened cholesterol. He state in his book, Just say NO (for Nitric Oxide)to Heart attack, that if you drink six ounces of pomegranate juice you will not have a heart attack or stroke. The second beneficial solution is provided by Moringa. Moringa blocks the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine because of high concentrations of beta-sitosterol. Beth-sitosterol, simular in molecular structure to cholesterol, mimics cholesterol in the small intestine. It binds to the cholesterol receptors and fills them up before cholesterol can be absorbed. I was able to lower my cholesterol from 289 to 249 on statins. With Poga Moonga, for eighteen months, I went down to 171 combined. My doctor was totally skeptical at first; but due to my blood panels he now agrees with my decision to quit statins. I urge you all to go to pubmed.org and place Moringa and Pomegranate, and cholesterol, in the search engine. I love Poga Moonga because it helps so many people. I have now even begun to sell it. YOu can check my website at www.pogamoonga.com/fred. Be sure to hit the "drink-a-pedia" button to see what the doctors are saying about the three ingredients; moringa, pomegranate, and aloe vera. Do you want something to provide you with heart health the natural way? If that's what you are looking for; look into Poga Moonga. Of course you can the buy the separate ingredients and still gain all the benefits. If you are diabetic, however, most Pomegranate has at least four grams of sugar per ounce. We only use one ounce of natural sweetner so it can be used by diabetics. Moringa is the sixth best plant, according to a study at pubmed.org in the entire world at lowering blood glucose levels. I have several people using it who where on insulin or other medications. Three of them with type-2 duiabetes have been told by their doctors that they are now normal again! This is great because diabetes puts a terrible strain on you heart and circulatory system. Moringa is a heart and circulatory stimulant; not an adrenal gland stimulant. This gives you a simular effect as excercise would and improves circulaion; especcially for diabetics. Statins are the most profitable drug and they are now recommending it for children, despite not having performed a single medical study as to the effects on these children! This is a fact, stated by the American Pediatric Society, just recently. Many doctors are warning of the effects of such long term use of these drugs. If you would like more information you may e-mail me at frawlins@sbcglobal.net. Happy Research!
Posted by: Grumpy | Dec 14, 2008 11:02:16 PM
MGood,
It's pretty amazing how effective Niacin is against high-cholesterol, too. I know, 'cause I've used it, and seen the results. Of course, Niacin's a natural vitamin (B3), so it can't be patented, so no company's going to make its fortune off of it, so no one will tell you about its efficacy against cholesterol -- not when they could be making real money selling you statins.
Posted by: vasilis | Dec 5, 2008 12:57:34 PM
Sorry, but there is a LOT of bias hidden on the The Physician's Health Study II !!. Why ?? Because they provided subjects with ONLY 500 mg of Vitamin C but EVERY SECOND DAY, meaning 250 mg every day. If they really wanted to test the 250 mg they should have given 250mg DAILY. But, who will protect the Vitamin's C rights in this crazy (pharmaceutical)era ??
Posted by: vasilis | Dec 5, 2008 12:56:04 PM
Sorry, but there is a LOT of bias hidden on the The Physician's Health Study II !!. Why ?? Because they provided subjects with ONLY 500 mg of Vitamin C but EVERY SECOND DAY, meaning 250 mg every day. If they really wanted to test the 250 mg they should have given 250mg DAILY. But, who will protect the Vitamin's C rights in this crazy (pharmaceutical)era ??
Posted by: Mike | Dec 3, 2008 1:48:48 AM
Statins have been clinically misused for the past 35 years according to INDEPENDENT and recent research.
Before you give in to the hype to overdose on them, please consider visiting http://www.spacedoc.net/ and get an education from an expert.
A very wise man once asked the difference between ignorance and apathy, I don't know and I don't care.
Sorry to be so blunt, but I care because I know that statins are not for everyone and are often prescribed at doses 20 time more than needed.
There are real issues at the cellular level for anyone using statins, such as damage to the Mitochondria Of The Cells, inhibition of many neural pathways suppression of cholesterol to the brain, muscle degradation and more.
Look for these topics that have been recently updated.
Statins and Cholesterol:
Heart Failure and Cholesterol Levels
Crestor, Omega 3 and Heart Failure
Women and Statins
Crestor
Aging:
Aging and Mitochondrial Mutations
Aging and Omega 3
Aging and CoQ10
Aging and L-Carnitine
Books:
The Great Cholesterol Con
Book Review - Alzheimers Solved
Malignant Medical Myths
My wife and my father hope to do better as we slowly wean them off statins. I hope you all take this issue seriously. Contact me at http://GlyCop.com if you wish.
Sincerely, Mike
Posted by: Jim S | Dec 2, 2008 5:31:05 PM
There are studies to validate any argument today. How is it that our grandparents and great grandparents lived their entire lives without all of these "miracle" drugs and lived long, healthy, productive lives. Yes, we live longer today, studies prove that, but look at the "quality" of the lives of most older people in nursing homes.
Food was purer in many ways. You could eat butter, and eggs, and breads, and meats, and vegetables because they weren't treated. The nutrients in our soils was better because crops were rotated and the growing fields followed the proper biblical cycles. It worked.
I believe it is possible to live a natural, healthy life eating organic, non-processed, non genetically altered, non-irradiated, grain fed meats, fruits, and vegetables, combined with whole food vitamins, minerals, herbs, and anti-oxident supplementation.
We have spent billions and billions of dollars, and are why haven't we cured something. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, aids, and on and on. Where are the cures?
I doubt we will ever see one because the medical and pharmaceutical industries are the only growth industries left in this country.
I do believe that medicine has made some advances in some areas and procedures, but overall I trust the holistic way of living more.
Just my opinion.
Posted by: Vasco Zappia | Dec 2, 2008 9:35:22 AM
Mike please find a pill for idiots. I participated as a guinea pig where i was given an inmuno supressor and my psoriasis got incredibly clear, so I started kicking heals! but they were honest & told me..this pill will damage your liver down the road. Conclusion? Try everything the natural way whatever it is don´t care if it comes from Peru, Timbuctu or wherever.. but avoid taking pills besides we´re only making reacher those SOB´s laboratories...
Posted by: Vasco Zappia | Dec 2, 2008 9:17:41 AM
Psoriasis: condition? or sickness. Patients tend to know more than dermatologyst. Evidence shows that the immune system gets out of whack by who knows what reason & then start attacking the patients own skin..question is: why prescribe ointments & creams if the condition is from the inside to the outside? we all know is not infectious or contagious, but is uncomfortable. You think that C vitamin might help?
Posted by: Frederick R Rawlins | Dec 2, 2008 9:14:50 AM
There is an heral remedy for these problems. Pomegranate has been scientifally proven to stimulate the production of nitric oxide in the body that breaks up cholesterol in the veins. Check out the book, Just Say No to Heart Attack by Dr.Louis Ignarrow, and you'll see that he evn won the Nobel Peace prize for this work. The next natural solution is called Moringa. Moringa has several powerful anti-inflamatories and lowers cholosterol with no negative side effects. Statins, on the other hand, can destroy your liver over time and eliminates the CoQ10 from your body. This CoQ10 is necessary for each cell to make energy. Take the statins and run the risks of serious side effects or finsd out that the natural solutions work. You can find Moringa combined with Pomegranate all combined in one drink, Poga Moonga. I've been off statins for 1 year now. My energy is back but more importantly Moringa, while actually protecting and helping strenghten my liver, has lowered my cholesterol more, 89 points, in 1 year as statins did in 3 years! Find it online and you will live better and longer. Google it, or the ingredients, and your eyes will be opened. For hard research go to Pubmed.org and put these ingredients into the search engine with cholesterol or inflammation. This government site publishes one paragraph summeries of recent medical studies. Try it for your research and rememger God gave us brains so that we don't have to be like sheep.
Posted by: mike | Dec 1, 2008 7:43:51 PM
Okay, so on day one, the Great Doctors tell us to take Vitamin C/E for reduced Heart Attack risk. Then they recant. Then they say to take a drug.
And all you people believe them.
These so called "studies" are flawed and non-scientific. They are the results of undergrad college students running a study in a class. But the journalists write "scientists in a recent study", and it's true, they're scientists, even though they are just students, but the articles are always deceptive about these things.
I noticed last year that whenever I get really really drunk at night, the next day I get to feeling better around 4:00pm. So, I think that qualifies as a study. If you want to feel better by tomorrow evening, get really drunk tonight.
Middle-aged Americans are complete idiots. Maybe one day they'll make a pill for that!
Posted by: Marcy | Dec 1, 2008 5:58:54 PM
Statins are great for those who can take them. My doctor has prescribed them all and I cannot tolerate any of them. The muscle pain in my legs and the pain on the bottom of my feet are excruciating. My cholesterol is very, very high. I can either take statins and sit in a chair and not move or play Russian Rolette to see when I get my stroke.
Posted by: Margaret Moss | Dec 1, 2008 4:44:01 PM
There are several worrying studies suggesting that low cholesterol and statin drugs may lead to more cancer, and a higher all-cause mortality rate. Work has begun, to see if they are linked with Alzheimer's. Statins reduce the synthesis of coenzyme Q10, thus leading to less energy production. This may lead to heart failure and damage in other muscles, as well as fatigue.
If we do not want coronary heart disease, I suggest we avoid sugars, especially galactose in milk, and fructose in high fructose corn syrup, ordinary sugar, sweet fruit, and sweet fruit juice. This way we minimise our glycation of LDL. We should have hard cheese instead of milk. We should have vegetables and the less sweet fruits like blueberries, rather than sweet fruits. We should have starch rather than sugar. We should have plenty of gently cooked fish or good quality fish oil and only a little omega 6 oil if any. This should be raw or only lightly cooked. I suggest we eat lentils and a moderate amount of nuts and seeds, for magnesium. I suggest finding an enjoyable form of exercise, preferably in the fresh air, and with company. We should consider taking magnesium and zinc as amino acid chelates, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, and natural vitamin E, to protect the heart. Those who have too high blood pressure should consider taking magnesium, coenzyme Q10 and taurine. I advise using butter rather than hydrogenated oils. We should avoid frequent frying, but use coconut oil if we do fry. Most people should not be afraid of eating gently cooked eggs, as these are not associated with heart disease.
Most of us reduce cholesterol absorption and synthesis, if we consume much of it. Only those with familial hypercholesterolaemia are unable to control their cholesterol in this way.
I suggest avoiding longterm use of any drug, unless absolutely essential. We cannot expect to get away without side-effects. Many drugs cause nutritional deficiencies, which lead to symptoms.
Posted by: Avi | Dec 1, 2008 4:12:50 PM
All;
As everyone visiting ND and reading this blog are, by definition, keenly interested in nutrition, and by logical extension, their health, ANY advise FROM ANY SOURCE that recommends blanket, large-scale pharmaceutical drug use as a prophylactic measure for any disease should raise an immediate RED FLAG to the veracity of such strategies.
In this case, statins work by "souping up" your liver to enhance its ability to trap cholesterol and in my opinion act essentially as a localized "steroid". Clearly, such adjustments have their place, but should not be viewed as a general strategy for long-term healthy-heart care.
As we all know, there are a myriad of causal factors to one's health, and an even larger number of opinions on medication strategies to deal with them, but the often-repeated, continuously updated "baseline" strategy should yield the best results you can expect in weight-management and disease-avoidance without "medical" intervention:
* Don't smoke
* Ensure majority of daily diet be vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains
* Reduce saturated fat (red meats, dairy products, etc) alcohol and refined sugar intake as much as possible
* After consulting your health care professional, take multi-vitamin and other supplements (fish oil, CoQ-10, ALA, etc) to make up for any dietary short-comings
* Do cardio and weight-bearing exercise 30-45 minutes a day, 5 days a week
* Drink adequate amounts of water
...and of course, stay tuned to ND and Monica's blog for all the latest and greatest info! :-)
Avoid supporting big pharma and western medical practice of "over-medicating". Understand the implications of all medications and continue to work proactively to stay healthy.
-Avi
Posted by: jeffrey dach md | Nov 26, 2008 8:53:02 PM
It appears that journalists have a short memory.
Only four year ago, Dr. David Graham, associate director in the FDA's Office of Drug Safety gave senate testimony that Crestor was one of five drugs with safety concerns. The drug causes muscle breakdown and renal failure.
To read more...
http://jeffreydach.com/2008/11/14/crestor-jupitor-crp-and-heart-attack--by-jefffrey-dach-md.aspx
Posted by: Julia Schopick | Nov 23, 2008 5:00:56 PM
Monica:
I am very glad to see that so many people have been questioning the advisability of putting even more people on statins! While I agree that patients with high levels of C-Reactive Protein are at greater risk for heart attacks (even with normal cholesterol levels), like you, I am worried that so many physicians seem to think, unquestioningly, that statins should be the FIRST treatments considered.
As your posting points out, there ARE nutritional solutions to lowering CRP levels -- including (but not limited to) Vitamin C. One article, criticizing the use of “statins for all” (my term, not his) is Dr. Andrew Saul's (“Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine”) “Why treat nutritional deficiency with drugs?”. http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v04n22.shtml
In his article, Dr. Saul references several of these nutritional studies.
As you know, these studies have been published in reputable journals, including the American Heart Association’s “Circulation,” “Diabetes Care” and “The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition,” to name just a few, and are catalogued by PubMed, where I found them.
I have listed (and linked to) seven of these studies in an article on my website, “Statins (Crestor) for Everyone? Or Could Diet and Nutritional Supplements Do the Job Better?”. My article may be found at http://tinyurl.com/6k752j . (One of the abstracts I link to in my article is the Gladys Block study you link to here.)
I’d like to also point out that Paul Ridker, MD, who conducted the JUPITER/Crestor study, was quoted on WebMD’s professional news service, Heartwire, as saying that “. . . diet alone can have a substantive effect on lowering CRP levels.” http://bcbsma.medscape.com/viewarticle/553590
Julia Schopick
Medical Advocate
www.HonestMedicine.com
Posted by: Andreia Torres | Nov 20, 2008 9:08:45 AM
It's also appropriate to say that statins will lower the Q10 coenzyme in our body and that can't be good.
Posted by: Atkins4Life | Nov 19, 2008 10:44:44 AM
I've been an Atkins dieter for 30+ years. I've also had CRP levels over 8 for the many years meaning high CV risk. While I didn't pay attention before, now that I'm diabetic (strong genetic disposition) I've been following Monica's book guidelines to try to reduce inflammation levels. More fish, salmon oil, eating nothing that's negative on the inflammatory index, adding plenty of turmeric, etc. After a few months my recent bloodwork show CHOL 164, high HDL, low LDL, low TRIG but still CRP=8. My lipid profile always has been good on Atkins. I've taken plenty of Vit C over the years. I've also been taking upto 325mg enteric aspirin/day these last few months by MD recs.
I want to get serious about reducing CRP not just for heart attacks but for all degenerative processes that will occur as I age but not sure what's left for me but Crestor, which someone gave me a box of 10mg samples. I've added higher levels of GLA in various oils and other newer supplements that are supposed to reduce inflammation. I've been going to the gym for years, getting aerobic and weight training exercise. Changing from an Atkins style diet to plant based or higher "good" carbs provides me worsening blood lipid levels
as I've tried over the years, along with weight gain.
Does anyone know how long it takes for Crestor to show this reduction in CRP? I have enough to try 20mg/day for a few weeks.
Posted by: FamilyNutritionist | Nov 18, 2008 11:01:36 AM
If weight loss is the major ingredient to reducing inflammation, then is there any value in pursuing an "Inflammation-Free Diet Plan"?
What about patients who are successfully losing weight, but whose cholesterol and inflammation scores have not dropped enough already? What should already-lean individuals do?
Do some meals promote postprandial dysmetabolism? Once weight loss is controleld for, is there a lnk between diets that promote postprandial dysmetabolism and CVD progress? Does vigorous exercise soon before or after a meal have acute effects on postprandial inflammation?
What size are the benefits of changes in diet and exercise vs. change in medication?
Posted by: Monica Reinagel | Nov 18, 2008 10:01:05 AM
The Boston Globe weighs in:
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2008/11/17/options_beyond_statins/
Posted by: Monica Reinagel | Nov 17, 2008 3:54:42 PM
FN: The reason that very different dietary regimens have been shown to reduce inflammation is that weight loss in and of itself reduces inflammation quite effectively (although at least one study found that an Atkins style diet increased inflammatory markers DESPITE weight loss).
Geoffrey: just so everyone understands the point (I think) you're making: I don't think anyone is making the argument that CRP causes anything. CRP is simply a marker for inflammation.
So the question is: Is systemic inflammation an independent cause? I tend to think it is. Looks like you think the jury is still out?
Posted by: Geoffrey A Landis | Nov 17, 2008 3:25:02 PM
Yes, exactly so. CRP is a symptom, not a cause. Reducing the symptom may, or may not, be affecting the cause.
FamilyNutritionist has it right: in the long term, a healthier lifestyle incorporating regular physical activity is going to improve your health more than almost any other change.
Posted by: FamilyNutritionist | Nov 17, 2008 11:45:53 AM
Monica -- can't you write ONCE MORE about what we ALREADY know about lifestyle (diet and exercise) changes that reduce inflammation? About the clinical successes of some very different approaches. Low-fat vegetarian diets like Barnard's or Ornish's as well as lower-carb diets like South Beach or Atkins or Bernstein diets. Both high-carb and low-carb approaches seem to be able to improve blood sugare, reduce inflammation, and slow or sometimes reverse progression of CAC. The only thing they seem to have in common is exercise, green vegetables, anti-oxidant foods, lower-GI foods, and no combining saturated fats with glycemic loads.
Does the JUPITER study say statins are more or less effective at reducing risk than a Barnard, Ornish, or Bernstein lifestyle change?
Posted by: MGood | Nov 17, 2008 10:37:38 AM
Interestingly, what could be the best, more efficacious, alternative to statin drugs is niacin. The website, www.cholesterolscore.com , a site that's primarily about niacin therapy, has many articles & studies about CRP. Inflammation, lipid particle size, HDL enhancement, as well as all the other cholesterol numbers are discussed, there.
Posted by: Brad F. | Nov 16, 2008 7:13:34 AM
oops, I meant to say 'causal', not 'associated' above in 3rd sentence.
brad
Posted by: Brad F. | Nov 16, 2008 7:09:27 AM
Hi again Monica
Forgive me for beating a dead horse, but I feel it is important to get good info out there. See this latest release from NEJM. In this study, CRP levels NOT associated with vascular disease. The jury is still out. Yes, Jupiter is large trial, but it is only one piece in a bigger puzzle. We have to wait and accrue data and analyze costs. Also, I would echo Dr. Parker's comment on NNT.
However, knowing likely benign nature of Vit C, so long as costs are not prohibitive for users, probably no negative consequences. People should do their homework.
Keep up the great blog.
brad
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/359/18/1897
Brad
Posted by: Steve Parker, M.D. | Nov 16, 2008 1:24:54 AM
If you think you might qualify for statin therapy with normal cholesterol levels, ask your doctor for the "high sensitivity CRP," not the usual CRP. The hsCRP was the test used in the JUPITER trial.
When the LA Times covered this story, they quoted a Stanford U. doc who calculated the NNT - number needed to treat - in order to prevent a single death or heart attack or stroke. That NNT was 120, meaning 119 people take the drug for two years with no benefit at all.
Most drugs in common clinical usage have much lower NNTs.
How much does this therapy cost? I ran some numbers and blogged about it here:
http://advancedmediterraneandiet.com/blog/?p=88
Just the drug alone is about $2500 for two years.
A recent study from Spain indicates low but frequent consumption of dark chocolate also lowers CRP!
And I can't pass up the chance to say that the Mediterranean diet lowers CRP and is considered anti-inflammmatory compared with the standard American diet.
Posted by: Monica Reinagel | Nov 15, 2008 9:14:39 PM
Geoffrey,
I think you'll notice that in my take-home points above, you don't see: "Taking vitamin C can reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke." Perhaps you read between the lines and thought that was the conclusion I was implying. Actually, I was just summing up what we know. Thanks for underlining what we don't.
You are right, of course. The NEJM study was looking at outcomes (heart attacks, stroke, mortality). However, it is already well established that statins reduce inflammation (as measured by CRP levels). And when the subjects taking statins are sorted by baseline CRP, they see a very dramatic reduction in risk.
What we still need is a long-term study showing that 1000mg of vitamin C leads to a similar reduction in risk.
Brad: Point taken about the fact that CRP levels may only be associated with heart disease and not causal. At first, we only had the correlation: people with high CRP had higher risk. Now we have a significant next step: Reducing CRP lowers risk.
Of course, the C-reactive protein itself is not the cause. It is merely the marker of inflammation. But I think the evidence is starting to make a pretty good case for a causitive role for inflammation in heart disease.
There might still be something else going on, some other way besides cholesterol OR inflammation that statins are reducing risk. Remains to be seen.
However, statins are not a no-down-side proposition. So I think it IS worth looking for other ways to accomplish the same goal(s).
And, also, worth pointing out that the Physicians Health Study null effect may have been due to insufficient dose.
Thanks, everyone, for thinking out loud with me!
Posted by: Gary | Nov 15, 2008 8:26:28 PM
Thanks for this news! My lipid profile is so good as to be described as protective, but my CRP is elevated. My physician did not recommend a statin, but told me to take fish oil to protect against any possible inflammation. Now, in addition to the fish oil, I'll resume my old habit of taking 1000 mg Vitamin C daily.
Posted by: Brad F. | Nov 15, 2008 8:15:53 PM
I would also add that the presence of CRP might be an epiphenomena, meaning, while it might be present in an individual with coronary disease, it is not the cause (only associated). Therefore, merely lowering CRP, with Vit C for example, may be far from the effect one would receive by using statins. I would reconsider above, not optimal strategy.
Posted by: Geoffrey A Landis | Nov 15, 2008 6:39:35 PM
>Any thoughts or reactions?
Yes. You say If only there were a safer, cheaper alternative. Oh wait, there is.... supplementing with 1000mg of vitamin C is slightly more effective in reducing CRP levels (when they are elevated) than statins
The problem is that the study you quote isn't a study about how to reduce CRP levels... it's a study about how to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. CRP is merely a symptom, it's not the problem.
Now, I wouldn't take statins based on that evidence: the possible advantage does not balance out the risks and side effects. But it you can't say that Vitamin C will do the same thing, because existing studies don't show that.
