A candid look into the dark reality of statin drugs
by Dr. Jack Wolfson DO, FACC — Board-certified cardiologist and founder of Natural Heart Doctor
Marty’s father had recently died from a heart attack, and he was concerned for his health With two kids in college and a business to run, he worried about what would happen if he suffered the same fate. Marty and his wife had big plans for their future. He addressed these concerns with his MD, who had this to say.
Marty experienced the standard interaction between patients and their cardiologists. The pharmaceutical being pushed is known as a statin. Millions of Americans have been swallowing statins since the early 1980s.
But was Marty’s doctor wrong? Could the promise of statins be different from reality?
Marty listened to his MD speak but was not convinced that statins were the best approach. Something didn’t feel right about the advice. After all, Marty’s father had been on a statin drug for years yet still died from a heart attack. Additionally, Marty thought his father’s health seemed to dwindle slowly with each passing year. He wanted better for himself and his family.
DR.JACKWOLFSON
YOUDESERVEBETTER
Read on to learn the truth about statin drugs, cholesterol, and natural treatment strategies to prevent, treat and reverse cardiovascular disease and journey towards your 100 Year Heart.
You have been told to take a statin drug
You are on a statin and have concerns
You are on a statin drug and would like to get off it
You would like to learn about cholesterol and why you need it
Heart disease: #1 killer
What are statin drugs?
The evidence for statin drugs
Effects of statin drugs
The truth about cholesterol
The numbers you need to know
Natural therapies to improve your numbers
How to stop a statin
Cardiovasculardiseaseisthe#1killer
(atorvastatin) is the biggest-selling drug of all time, generating annual revenues for Pfizer of up to 13 billion dollars per year and over 100 billion since its inception.
Big Pharma has an army of representatives to solicit the business of healthcare practitioners, insurance companies, hospitals, and pharmacists. The medical education of physicians receives massive support from Big Pharma. My training consisted of almost daily free meals and gifts from drug reps seeking my support for whatever drug they were peddling.
Whatistheevidenceforstatindrugs?
Do statin drugs lower cholesterol? Yes, they can lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins (LDL).
However, the real question is, “Do statin drugs lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, or dying?” Let’s find out.
A 2009 study of over 70,000 people looked at the benefits of statin drugs for primary prevention. This meta-analysis assessed trials of people with risk factors for coronary artery disease who had never had a heart attack, stroke, or stent/surgical intervention.
Herearethefindings:
The annual chance of dying was 0.1% lower in statin drug users versus placebo.
The annual chance of a heart attack was 0.2% lower in statin users versus placebo.
The annual chance of a stroke was 0.1% lower in statin drug users versus placebo.
A recent 2022 meta-analysis in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) included studies on primary prevention (risk factors, no event) and secondary prevention (already had a heart attack or coronary intervention like an angioplasty, stent, or bypass). The conclusions were very similar to the above study. Annual mortality was 0.2% lower in statin users, heart attacks were 0.3% lower in statin users, and stroke risk was 0.1% lower in statin users.
Could statin drugs INCREASE your risk of dying? In 2017, an article published in JAMA found an 18% INCREASE in the death rate of statin drug users versus placebo. The death rate was 34% higher in those over 75! The population in the study was 65 and older and consisted of people who had never had a cardiovascular event (heart attack, stroke, stent, or bypass).
Finally, many people take statin drugs because a coronary calcium CT scan showed coronary calcification. It is of interest that studies show statin drugs INCREASE coronary calcification. A couple of likely mechanisms why statin drugs increase coronary calcium is from vitamin K2 inhibition and a decreased production of glutathione peroxidase, according to this study.
The above data clearly does not support the “take this or have a heart attack, stroke, or die” rhetoric and bully tactics from mainstream cardiologists.
The goal is not to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death by tiny percentages. The goal is to reduce your risk to near zero. The standard cardiology approach doesn’t do this. I believe you can.
Therealdangersofstatindrugs
Sarah was having issues with her memory. She couldn’t remember the items needed while shopping at the grocery store and whether she shut the garage door. Her MD suggested that these things were simply due to aging.
When you take a synthetic substance that affects a process in the body, there are always other effects that are not necessarily what is intended. A pharmaceutical does not have consciousness and does not know what it is supposed to do and not do. It just does.
In the case of statin drugs, the HMG CoA reductase enzyme is inhibited in an effort to reduce cholesterol production. But this same enzyme is also responsible for the production of CoQ10, dolichol, heme A, and many more important biochemical compounds.
In fact, CoQ10 levels may be up to 50% lower in statin users. This is a scary finding, given the importance of CoQ10 in many bodily functions. Since testosterone comes from cholesterol, it is no surprise that a review found statin drugs lower testosterone levels in men.
Statin drugs lead to many other effects. A recent study showed that over 73% of statin users complained of muscle pain. Almost 30% of respondents said they stopped statin drugs because of muscle pain. Women were slightly more affected than men. The FDA banned cerivastatin (Baycol) in 2001 after reports of severe muscle damage (rhabdomyolysis) was found in patients taking the drug.
The statin drug class also has been shown to increase the risk of diabetes, increase muscle inflammation, increase liver inflammation, and neuropathy. In fact, people who have used statin drugs for over two years are at a 26X higher risk of neuropathy.
Statins may also lead to heart failure and cardiomyopathy. Contributing factors to this situation may include inhibition of CoQ10 and heme A production, as these are vital to mitochondrial performance.
Could statins increase skin cancer risk? That was the conclusion of a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Statin drugs interfere with omega-3 fatty acid production. This is scary since these fatty acids are found in every cell membrane and organelle inside all cells. Statin users should strongly consider omega-3 EPA/DHA supplementation.
A large review in the journal Movement Disorders found that statin users had a high rate of Parkinson’s disease Statin users with Parkinson’s also had double the risk of developing dementia.
Although most studies failed to demonstrate an increased risk of dementia in statin users, I have seen many people who complained of cognitive issues with statin use. Another complaint of statin users is transient global amnesia, a condition leading to loss of memory for recent events.
Statin therapy was associated with higher odds of being diagnosed with esophagitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease/dyspepsia, according to a 2017 publication.
High dose statin drug use may be linked to a higher risk of osteoporosis. Statin drug use was associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, and lung cancer.
There are also many case reports of mental health issues associated with statin drug use. The conclusion of a review article states: “Behavioral and psychiatric changes in the cases presented range from violent nightmares to aggression, mood/personality change, violent or homicidal ideation (in some instances culminating in suicide), each in apparent association with statin use. The temporal association between the drug initiation and mood and behavior change, and again between drug discontinuation and resolution of symptoms where this occurred, suggests a causal connection in a number of these cases”
Thebiggeststatindangerofall
Ultimately, I think one factor regarding statin use may be more important than all: Statins lead to a false sense of security. Many think that they can simply swallow a pill and eat and drink whatever they want with no consequences.
They are wrong.
If statins lower heart attack risk from 3% to 2.7%, that means 2.7% of users STILL have heart attacks. That is a major failure on the part of the medical system.
Sarah read an article about statin drugs and potential memory loss. She immediately stopped the drug and felt like a different person within just a few weeks.
Thetruthabout cholesterol
To say that cholesterol gets a bad rap is an understatement. Big Pharma propaganda influences us to conjure up visions of heart attacks, strokes, and death when we think about cholesterol. The truth is that we cannot live without cholesterol.
Every mammal on planet earth makes cholesterol. This molecule is essential for hormone production, vitamin D formation, and digestion. The “brain” of the cell is the cell membrane, and it’s packed with cholesterol. And so is your big brain in your head.
Everyone has a perfect cholesterol level. The MrFit trial showed that the sweet spot for total cholesterol and mortality is between 160 and 260. Above 260 showed a higher risk of dying. Below 160 found the same.
We are also told that LDL is the “bad cholesterol” and HDL is the “good cholesterol. Again, nothing could be further from the truth. Both LDL and HDL have a purpose.
When it comes to heart attack, stroke, and risk of dying, advanced tests provide a more accurate risk assessment than cholesterol.
Thenumbersyouneedtoknow
Since cholesterol and total LDL are not very predictive of heart attack, stroke, or death, we need a better set of tools.
The following represents my Top 10 recommended tests people need to know to assess their risk:
ApolipoproteinAandB
Lp(a)
Hs-crp
OxidizedLDL
Homocysteine
Uricacid
25hydroxyvitaminD
Glutathione Omega3Index CoQ10
These are included in our Level 1 testing at Natural Heart Doctor. Learn more about Level 1 testing here.
For a more comprehensive assessment of overall health, please check out our Level 2 testing and Level 3 testing.
It is clear that the statin approach is a failed model. Again, lowering risk by fractions of a percent is not a good strategy You deserve better on your way to the 100 Year Heart
Evidence-based nutritional supplements support the 100 Year Heart plan. We have created several supplements that work alongside our Eat Well, Live Well, Think Well health strategies.
One powerful supplement that everyone on the 100 Year Heart journey should take is OptiLipid. OptiLipid contains seven plant-based ingredients to target optimal cholesterol levels. There is also research to support each individual ingredient for regulating blood sugar, reducing inflammation, and supporting the immune system.
*You can buy OptiLipid here. OptiLipid is also inside our Level 2 cholesterol protocol. The dosage is one cap 2x per day.
Othersupplementsforyourperfectcholesterol
Level 1 Protocol
Level 2 Protocol
Level 3 Protocol
HowtoStopStatinDrugs
Please discuss discontinuing statins with your doctor. But if you stop a statin drug, there is no weaning process or slowly reducing the dosage. Statins can be stopped abruptly or “cold turkey”. I recommend stopping the statin and then checking your lipid ratios after two weeks. Now you will have a fresh baseline to work from.
