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Statins: Heart disease drug speeds up ageing process, warns new research
Sunday Express (UK) ^ | Sunday, Sept 27, 2015 | By LUCY JOHNSTON

Posted on 09/26/2015 6:30:32 PM PDT by Swordmaker

Fears are growing over the side effects of cholesterol-lowering pills

Scientists have found the heart disease drug badly affects our stem cells, the internal medical system which repairs damage to our bodies and protects us from muscle and joint pain as well as memory loss. 

Last night experts warned patients to “think very carefully” before taking statins as a preventative medicine. 

A GP expert in the field said: “They just make many patients feel years older. Side effects mimic the ageing process.” 

The new research by scientists at Tulane University in New Orleans has reignited the debate about statin side effects which many doctors say have been played down. 

They include memory loss, muscle pain, diabetes, cataracts, liver dysfunction, diabetes, fatigue and memory loss. Millions of Britons currently take statins to combat the risks of heart attacks

Professor Reza Izadpanah, a stem cell biologist and lead author of the research published in the American Journal of Physiology, said: “Our study shows statins may speed up the ageing process. 

“People who use statins as a preventative medicine for heath should think again as our research shows they may have general unwanted effects on the body which could include muscle pain, nerve problems and joint problems.” 

"This research reinforces what has long been suspected. The side effects of statins mimic the ageing process." —Dr Malcolm Kendrick, GP

The scientists who treated stem cells with statins under laboratory conditions found that after a few weeks the cholesterol-busting treatment had a dramatic effect. 

Statins prevented stem cells from performing their main functions, to reproduce and replicate other cells in the body to carry out repairs. 

The researchers found the statins prevented stem cells from generating new bone and cartilage. 

They also found they increased ageing. 

Professor Izadpanah said: “People at high risk of heart disease can reduce this risk by taking statins. However, considering the adverse effects of these drugs and their association with so many side effects, it is crucial people are fully aware of the risks before they take the treatment.” Vanessa Redgrave survives severe heart attack thanks to answer...

Dr Malcolm Kendrick, a GP in Macclesfield, Cheshire, who has studied heart health and statins, said: “Statins just make many patients feel years older. This research reinforces what has long been suspected. The side effects of statins mimic the ageing process.

“I observe patients on statins slowing down. Some are not affected, for some it is a relatively subtle process, but for many it is a serious side effect and one which disturbingly helps us confirm what we have long suspected.” The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says the findings could save lives

Millions of Britons currently take statins to combat the risks of heart attacks, but a 10-year NHS plan has already been introduced to prescribe the drug to low-risk patients with only a 10 per cent chance of a heart attack within a decade. 

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence claims this could save thousands of lives. 

But critics say much of the trials data has never been made public and more work is needed to ensure routine use is not harmful.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: cholesterol; coenzymeq10; coq10; health; heartdisease; niacin; statins; stemcells
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1 posted on 09/26/2015 6:30:32 PM PDT by Swordmaker
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To: Swordmaker

Could also save national health care millions of $ conflict of interest? Let’s see the data


2 posted on 09/26/2015 6:33:33 PM PDT by Mom MD
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To: Swordmaker

It’d be interesting to see a study on whether the use of CoQ10 mitigates or negates this effect.


3 posted on 09/26/2015 6:33:48 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Swordmaker

High cholesterol has never been the cause of a single death...ever....anywhere


4 posted on 09/26/2015 6:34:26 PM PDT by csmusaret (Will remove Obama-Biden bumperstickers for $10)
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To: csmusaret
High cholesterol has never been the cause of a single death...ever....anywhere

Actually, it seems that there is a range of cholesterol that is healthy... too much or too little causes problems. Too little cholesterol increases the risk of strokes, if I remember correctly.

5 posted on 09/26/2015 6:38:14 PM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: Swordmaker

I believe statins made my father very ill while he was still alive. His health took a progressive turn for the worse and I would never recommend them to anyone.


6 posted on 09/26/2015 6:40:58 PM PDT by grimalkin (For the Statist, liberty is not a blessing but the enemy. - Mark Levin, Liberty and Tyranny)
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To: grimalkin

I have heard of a lot of people having muscle problems.


7 posted on 09/26/2015 6:42:00 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: Swordmaker

I have always said no to Statins when any of the docs I have seen in the past ten years have prescribed them. Glad I did. I keep my cholesterol under control with oatmeal. It is very effective, for me anyway.


8 posted on 09/26/2015 6:42:55 PM PDT by HerrBlucher (Abortion is murder)
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To: ilovesarah2012

Yes, that was one of the side effects. My father’s muscle tone deteriorated and was sore and weak.


9 posted on 09/26/2015 6:43:59 PM PDT by grimalkin (For the Statist, liberty is not a blessing but the enemy. - Mark Levin, Liberty and Tyranny)
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To: Swordmaker

For later


10 posted on 09/26/2015 6:46:18 PM PDT by kalee
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To: Swordmaker
They include memory loss, muscle pain, diabetes, cataracts, liver dysfunction, diabetes, fatigue and memory loss. Millions of Britons currently take statins to combat the risks of heart attacks

"Flu like symptoms" and muscle aches. I get them with even the mildest statins.

11 posted on 09/26/2015 6:47:21 PM PDT by Lee N. Field ("I don't care if there's a billion of you. You're in a cult.")
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To: All
I was put on statins three years ago and my skin started thinning, my fingernails started becoming extremely fragile (I used to be able to use my thumbnails for box cutters!), my gums started bleeding, and my teeth started getting loose. I started getting blooms and liver spots under my skin. . . and I could be looking at the backs of my hands and they'd start to bleed. I even lost a couple of fingernails. Others would split from front to back.

This all occurred in a space of about six months after starting those damn statins. I could not figure out what was happening. There were other very strange symptoms I will not go into here.

At the end of the six months, I realized the symptoms had all begun after starting the statin, so against my doctor's objections and arguments of why it was "good for me tom keep taking it and there were no side effects to worry about", I took myself off the pill from hell. . . and gradually all those symptoms went away.

My doctor finally grudgingly agreed I had a "rare unusual sensitivity" to statins and put it in my record to NEVER prescribe or administer any statins to me.

I am now fully recovered from those symptoms and I can again open boxes with my thumb nails, but I had to wait for my nails to completely grow out from the quick.

12 posted on 09/26/2015 6:49:06 PM PDT by Swordmaker ( This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue...)
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To: Swordmaker

Wow. We know our bodies better than doctors do and you proved it. Good for you.


13 posted on 09/26/2015 6:50:57 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: Swordmaker

And guess who’s forcing hospitals to prescribe statins as part of meeting their “core measures” for heart attack and stroke in the US? The govt, of course.
Scary stuff.


14 posted on 09/26/2015 6:55:13 PM PDT by GnuThere
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To: csmusaret
High cholesterol has never been the cause of a single death...ever....anywhere

The latest studies show that people with high-choesterol live LONGER than those with lower. It does matter if the lipids are high or low density with high being better for health.

15 posted on 09/26/2015 6:57:37 PM PDT by Swordmaker ( This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue...)
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To: Swordmaker

I’ve discovered that COQ10, Vitamin C, Garlic, Hawthorn and L-Arginine will do wonders for your cardiovascular system, and Fenugreek will definitely help reduce your bad cholesterol.

You were wise to drop those statins when your body was telling you not to take them. I’ve never taken any and don’t plan to.


16 posted on 09/26/2015 7:01:07 PM PDT by mkjessup (If you really support Ted Cruz, don't be trashing Trump, Cruz doesn't, why should you?)
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To: Swordmaker

I’d like to see the study details and methodology, but I’ve felt for years that using statins as a preventative for people that are not at genuine *high* risk was unwise. Doctors have been far to eager to prescribe them with the already known (scary) side effects.

I refuse to consider statins. I have the final say on my health care.


17 posted on 09/26/2015 7:01:25 PM PDT by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s, you weren't really there....)
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

I take Co-Q-10 and until just recently, statins. After increasingly sore shoulder muscles that left me feeling like a cripple, I stopped the statins two weeks ago. Already, there is some relief from the muscle aches. Unless my doctor lays serious consequences on me, I don’t intend to go back on statins.


18 posted on 09/26/2015 7:03:02 PM PDT by sparklite2 (Eagles fan after loss to Dallas -- This is the first time I ever saw the "prevent offense".)
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To: Swordmaker

Just finished up a Geriatric conference . New studies (2015) recommend statins for primary prevention of heart attack and stroke in those over 65. Who to believe???


19 posted on 09/26/2015 7:03:53 PM PDT by therut
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To: Swordmaker

I take Red Rice Yeast instead of statins.

It’s much cheaper....I buy it at Sam’s Club.....and there are no side effects that I know of.

I also take CO-Q10 and L-Carnitine.


20 posted on 09/26/2015 7:07:41 PM PDT by july4thfreedomfoundation (Liberals are like the Taliban and ISIS....destroying cultural icons they don't like.)
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