Bartecchi: Statins and your heart
Heart disease was the leading cause of death in the U.S. this past year, accounting for the largest number of deaths since 1950. It is followed by cancer and COVID-19.
Recent data showed that the greatest increase in number of cardiovascular deaths was among Asian, Black and Hispanic populations. Cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and smoking have contributed to this increase.
Coronary heart disease, which includes clogged arteries or atherosclerosis of the heart is the #1 cause of death in the U.S. due to its cause of heart attacks, according to the CDC. Eighty percent of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke is preventable. Heart attacks and strokes can be significantly decreased by cholesterol management, blood pressure control, smoking cessation, exercise and weight loss.
In some people cholesterol can be controlled by a healthy diet, weight loss and exercise, but that won’t work for everyone. A class of drugs known as statins are often the first line of therapy after lifestyle changes, to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and death from cardiovascular disease.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, more than 200 million people around the world take statins for heart health. Statins, over a period of decades have proven safe and effective, and most people tolerate them well. However, according to Johns Hopkins Medical School, there have been some myths about taking statins that have concerned people. These myths center around diabetes, memory loss and cataracts. The Hopkins’ doctors, however, claim that research tells us that statins do not induce diabetes, cause memory loss or cataracts in humans.
Some people, wrongly, have turned to over-the-counter dietary supplements that claim to lower cholesterol. A recent Cleveland Clinic study has shown that a low dose (5 milligrams) statin was much more effective at reducing cholesterol than fish oil, garlic, turmeric, plant sterols and red rice yeast. Also, the statin was just as safe as the supplements, which did little to reduce cholesterol. Of course, for very high cholesterol levels, increasing the statin or the addition of another prescription medication may be indicated.
Lately, there has been heavy marketing of another “supplement” that might accompany statin treatments. One such supplement is CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10). However, CoQ10 has not been proven to help prevent heart disease, hypertension, the ability to reduce muscle pain that is infrequently caused by statins or even for cancer, Parkinson’s disease and other diseases that it has claimed effectiveness for in the past.
A comprehensive review of CoQ10 in 2020 recommended additional research and larger clinical trials to draw conclusions about its ability to decrease statin induced symptoms. A recent Harvard Health report was headed “CoQ10 supplements unlikely to benefit statin users.”
Unfortunately, CoQ10 can interact with insulin and may not be compatible with some types of cancer treatments. It can also interact with “blood thinners” such as warfarin, making it less effective. One popular marketed brand claims “3x better absorption." However, what difference does it make if it is absorbed better if you don’t need it or that it doesn’t do you any good and may cause problems. Even worse, a lawsuit was filed by purchasers of CoQ10, against a company for violating certain laws or falsely advertising their supplement as having greater absorption rates. Though not actually found guilty, the company settled for 1.3 million dollars.
Therefore, if you are in need of a statin for being at risk for coronary heart disease, which can be determined by your physician using a simple formula (ASCVD Risk Estimator), or if you have known coronary heart disease with cholesterol elevation, you are most likely to be benefitted by taking a statin.
Dr. Carl E. Bartecchi, MD, is a Pueblo physician and clinical professor of medicine and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Bartecchi: Statins and your heart
