HSI e-Alert - Myth Buster

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

HSI e-Alert - Myth Buster

Wed, 07 Sep 2005 06:50:00 -0400

HSI e-Alert - Myth Buster

 

 

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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September 07, 2005

 

 

 

Over the past days, we've been riveted by the tragedy that hit our

neighbors in the South. For many people, rebuilding is simply an

impossibility. And even those that can will need weeks, months, or

even years to get their lives back to anything resembling normal. Our

hearts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this. While

financial donations are still greatly needed, they are also desperate

to find places to house those who lost their homes. If you have any

spare space and are willing to open your home, please visit

www.hurricanehousing.org They are looking mostly for people within a

couple hundred miles of the cities hit, but people are posting from

all over the country. My husband and I put our house up in the

Baltimore suburbs, deciding we would use frequent flyer miles to help

someone get here. Even if you post, you aren't required to take in

anyone that doesn't meet your criteria. But if you have any spare room

at all, please consider helping a person or family whose life has been

destroyed by this tragedy.

 

Dear Reader,

 

Another one bites the dust.

 

Another myth about cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, that is.

 

You've got to hand it to executives of drug companies that manufacture

statins: They gave it the old college try. For years they've been

touting statins as cholesterol cutters that may also have the

potential to prevent cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis,

loss of bone mass and Alzheimer's disease (AD). I've been waiting for

them to claim that statins can also be used as a floor wax AND a

dessert topping.

 

So far the evidence behind these supposed extra benefits is scant at

best. And now a new study shows that it may be time to go ahead and

check Alzheimer's off that list.

 

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Not doing the trick

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The new study - published in the July issue of the Archives of

Neurology - opens with a dutiful nod to statins' ability to " reduce

cardiovascular risk. " The University of Washington (UW) researchers

could have also noted that statins may actually jeopardize cardio

health by depleting the heart-friendly coenzyme Q-10, but that's a

story for another day.

 

Previous research shows that elevated LDL cholesterol may be

associated with higher dementia and Alzheimer's risk. So the UW team

evaluated data on statin use and dementia collected from the

Cardiovascular Health Study Results. The data included information on

nearly 2,800 subjects over the age of 65. The average age was 75 and

the average length of statin use was five years.

 

At the outset, all subjects were evaluated with MRI and other tests,

and none were diagnosed with dementia or AD. By the end of the study,

480 subjects were found to have dementia, and 245 of those cases were

Alzheimer's disease.

 

In their conclusions the researchers note that statin use was " not

associated with a decreased risk of dementia " even after dementia risk

factors such as diabetes, smoking, hypertension and elevated LDL

cholesterol levels were taken into consideration.

 

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Which way is up?

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The Washington study may be a setback for statin manufacturers, but

they might have seen it coming.

 

In the e-Alert " Going Under " (6/9/05), I told you about a study that

linked high cholesterol in elderly subjects with a lowered risk of

dementia. That's right: LOWERED risk.

 

A team of U.S. and Swedish researchers analyzed medical data collected

on more than 380 elderly residents of Goteborg, Sweden. For nearly two

decades, subjects underwent physicals, blood tests, chest x-rays,

EKGs, CT scans and neuropsychiatric examinations.

 

Researchers found that elevated levels of total cholesterol recorded

while subjects were in their early 70s were linked with reduced

dementia risk in their later 70s. Furthermore, elevated total

cholesterol throughout their 70s was associated with reduced dementia

risk throughout their 80s.

 

In an interview with HealthDay News, one member of the U.S. team,

Johns Hopkins researcher Michelle M. Mielke, noted that we can no

longer rely on oversimplified answers, " for example, that high

cholesterol is always bad and low cholesterol is always good. "

 

I'll bet the pro-statin camp never expected to hear a statement like

that from a major research institution.

 

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The B team

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Unfortunately, these studies create more questions than answers. But

there is a preventive measure against Alzheimer's that's a no-brainer.

 

In the e-Alert " One Thing You Can do to Protect Yourself from

Alzheimer's Starting Today " (2/19/02), I told you about the

homocysteine/AD connection. Homocysteine is an amino acid that, like

cholesterol, can be measured with a simple blood test. In 2002, a

large study from the Boston University School of Medicine revealed

that a high homocysteine level can actually double your chances of

developing Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia.

 

The good news here is that supplements of vitamins B-6, B-12 and folic

acid have been shown to be effective in helping reduce homocysteine

levels. Unlike statins, however, there are no dire side effects

associated with these nutrients.

 

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....and another thing

 

What would car manufacturing companies be like if they were run like

giant international drug companies?

 

That question is answered in a hilarious recent column written by Mike

Adams, an alternative healthcare columnist. Here are a few of Mike's

observations:

 

* A typical car might cost more than $4 million - that's a 30,000

percent markup over cost

* The same car would cost around $5,000 in Canada

* Car companies would lobby Congress to promote the regulation (or

outright ban) of alternative forms of transportation such as bicycles

and air travel

* It would be illegal to buy or sell foreign-made cars inside the U.S.

* Car companies would conduct their own safety tests and, whenever

possible, would keep negative results secret

 

Mike lists a total of 15 ways car companies would be different if they

were run like drug companies, and the list is definitely worth a read

(newstarget.com/009844.html).

 

But I have one item to add to his list...#16:

 

* Car companies would encourage parents to buy full-size cars for

their adolescent children to drive

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

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Sources:

 

" Statin use and the Risk of Incident Dementia " Archives of Neurology,

Vol. 62, No. 7, July 2005, archneur.ama-assn.org

" Statins for Dementia? Big Trial Finds No Benefit " Neil Osterweil,

MedPage Today, 7/11/05, medpagetoday.com

" Could High Cholesterol Ward Off Dementia? " HealthDay News, 5/24/05,

rednova.com

 

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