Once and for all, scant statin benefits DO NOT outweigh the considerable risks
“The benefits still outweigh the risks.”
That phrase is truly getting ridiculous. Even comical.
In recent years, research has linked one potential adverse side effect after another to statins. Muscle damage. Kidney and liver damage. Cognitive impairment. Cataracts. Type 2 diabetes.
And yet, with every one of these serious risks, we’ve seen doctors, experts, and researchers come forward, on cue, and say… “The benefits still outweigh the risks.”
Which brings us to a new study. It does two things. It confirms the diabetes link. And it helps clarify exactly which patients are at greatest risk.
And, of course, the study concludes… I’m sorry. I can’t repeat it. It’s too preposterous.
It’s also utterly false.
If your doctor ever tries to sell you this absurd “outweighs the risks” line…well, let me give you all the facts you need for a quick reply.
Busting the heart disease myth
The new study appears in The Lancet. And a Wall St. Journal report summed it up like this…
* Patients with type 2 diabetes risk factors who take statins are more likely to develop diabetes compared to statin users with no risk factors.
* The benefits still outweigh the risks because statins prevent heart disease.
Really? Well, let’s go all the way back to a January 2012 issue of WSJ. That’s where you’ll find cardiologist Rita Redberg, M.D., saying this… “For most healthy people, data show that statins do not prevent heart disease, nor extend life or improve quality of life. And they come with considerable side effects.”
Nailed it! Thank you, Dr. Redberg.
Now, as for those statin users who are at greater diabetes risk, there’s no need to brace yourself. It’s not going to surprise.
The study found that statin users with obesity or high blood sugar were at greater risk of diabetes. Which is like saying people who drive cars have a greater chance of getting where they’re going.
But what’s MOST concerning isn’t addressed at all.
Obesity and high blood sugar increase heart disease risk. So under the completely mistaken impression that statins prevent heart disease, many doctors automatically prescribe statins to patients who are obese or have high blood sugar. And even though that’s clearly disastrous, they’ll continue doing it because again and again and again they hear this phrase…
“The benefits still outweigh the risks.”
It’s ludicrous!
If you have a family member or a friend who uses a statin and has any diabetes risk factors, please share this information with them. The FDA now requires a type 2 diabetes warning on all statin drugs, but that doesn’t mean the message is getting through to everyone.
Sources:
“Cardiovascular benefits and diabetes risks of statin therapy in primary prevention: an analysis from the JUPITER trial” The Lancet, Vol. 380, No. 9841, 8/11/12, thelancet.com
“New Study Fine-Tunes Diabetes, Statin Link” Shirley S. Wang, The Wall St. Journal, 8/9/12, online.wsj.com
“Should Healthy People Take Cholesterol Drugs to Prevent Heart Disease?” Rita Redberg, The Wall St. Journal, 1/23/12, online.wsj.com
