A recent study published in the prestigious British medical journal Lancet found that cholesterol-lowering statin medication significantly increased the risk of developing diabetes. This study was based on 13 trials including 91,140 participants. Statins have also been shown to cause memory loss, headaches, skin rashes, myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, liver toxicity and cognitive dysfunction.
Statistically, for every heart attack a statin prevents, there will also be 30 new cases of diabetes. In addition, people must be treated with statins for at least 3 years before there is any known benefit. Interestingly, one of the most significant long-term negative effects of diabetes is heart disease. This means that as time goes by with each individual, the possible benefits of statins begins to decrease significantly.
If we delve into the biochemistry of why this happens we see some obvious explanations. Cholesterol is a vital part of sex hormone and vitamin D production. The sex hormone DHEA and vitamin D have both been shown to enhance insulin sensitivity so lowing cholesterol will only deplete the body of these vital hormones.
C-reactive protein is a marker used to identify the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Statins lower C-reactive protein which may be an explanation as to why they reduce heart attack risk. Fortunately for you, there are much safer ways to lower C-reactive protein.
The first is to reduce your consumption of foods that produce advanced glycation end products or AGEs. One study had two groups eat the exact same diet except one of them prepared their food in a way that increased the production of AGEs. The C-reactive protein of the group with high AGEs was 41% higher than the low AGE group. Reducing the amount of AGE production can be done by boiling and poaching as opposed to frying, grilling, and roasting. Eating raw foods obviously has the least amount of AGEs.
Red yeast rice contains statin-like compounds and has been shown to lower cholesterol and C-reactive protein levels but we don't know yet if it will also increase the risk of diabetes. I do not recommend red yeast rice due to this uncertainty and instead recommend lifestyle modifications to reduce the risk of heart disease.
The first step is to eat whole foods that are organic and free-range. Stay away from sugar, hydrogenated fats (trans fats), chlorinated water and tobacco. Optimize stress levels and exercise regularly. Get your C-reactive protein levels checked to see if you are at risk. Practicing these tips and reducing your CRP levels will put you at a very low risk for heart disease without all the nasty side effects like diabetes!
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