Are statins the cause of Diabetes, Breast Cancer, liver damage, Alzheimer’s disease among others?

Brian Shilhavy
Health Impact News

The $100 billion dollar cholesterol-lowering statin drug industry is under attack, as thousands of Americans are filing lawsuits against the manufacturers of cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor. Research continues to confirm just how dangerous these drugs are, with yet another study published recently linking increased statin drug use to type 2 diabetes.

Since the study was published by the American Diabetes Association, these known risks to cholesterol-lowering drugs can no longer be denied or defended, and the lawsuits are pouring in at a rapid pace. Most of the lawsuits at this point are from women who have suffered with diabetes as a result of taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, but lawsuits over breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, liver damage, and others may soon follow now that it is generally known how dangerous these drugs are.
Link-https://healthimpactnews.com/2014/thousands-sue-for-damages-against-cholesterol-drugs-as-big-pharma-defends-billion-dollar-industry/

Comments by Dr harold-health writer

Naturopaths will claim that all allopathic drugs are dangerous. This is true because every drug, including supplements does have side effects and they are well described in the pamphlet which accompanies the product

So, it is vital that every individual when prescribed a drug by a qualified practitioner read the enclosed pamphlet before starting on them,
It is true when it comes to statins that the big cats have made their money and the sales are still increasing.

All generic forms of statins have side effects. They are quite well known and on stopping the drug the side effects disappear within 24 hours. Some doctors may ask the patients to still take the statins especially after heart attacks, or having a history of heart disease in the family, or in situations where the LDL cholesterol is uncontrollable even after dieting and exercise.

It is also true that cholesterol numbers are not the sole culprits for heart disease. The causes of heart disease are multifactorial, and high cholesterol numbers may contribute to it.
The question arises why did our researchers write so many articles about the cholesterol lowering benefits of statins to lower the risk of heart disease, when it was a manupulation and why did our cardiologists kept on insisting that you should take it for life time?

It is also believed that cholesterol in your blood works as an antioxidant after the age of 70. A trial in a nursing home giving statins to one set of elderly people and the other equal number without, after 10 years was observed that those who were given no statins lived longer.

But, many doctors prescribe cholesterol lowering drugs to the elderly people.

It appears that these educated professionals were carried away and influenced by the papers written by the paid researchers and the medical reps whose influence and recommendations regarding the efficacies of their respective products imported by the dealerships, were just accepted for their word. The long term outcome was a disaster causing insidious damage in the management of patients…

What happened to coconut oil industry-one of the God given natural tropical oils for cooking and having multiple health benefits? Ansel Keys an American scientist in the early fifties brought out a false theory that after studying the results in seven countries, he observed that saturated fats caused a new disease called heart disease. He fudged his results by selecting the countries to prove his theory and was proved as a fake. Corn and Soy industries in US used Key’s statistics to promote the sales of their unsaturated fatty oils and they made their quick bucks, at the detriment to the coconut industry.

As a result the sales of coconut oil imported to US mainly from the Philippines dropped to less than 2% and was used only in the cosmetic industry.
Today, it is shown that coconut oil has many benefits, includes being used for dietetic control in obesity, among other benefits and the sales have soared to unlimited extents.

Cardiologists and dietitians still condemn coconut products being saturated fatty acids, for consumption. Last year the Sri Lankan Association of NSW (Australia) invited a Sri Lankan cardiologist to deliver a talk at the Seniors Day and he too condemned coconut oil as a factor causing heart disease. Most of the audience looked at me for my reactions, but I did not wish to be rude to our guest speaker.

It is coming to a stage that we cannot believe the findings of most research workers: they are bought over by the big cats to promote their drugs, and our doctors have been the outlets for the big manufacturers to make their buck…

It is also becoming clear how far we could believe the recommendations of the FDA. After all, statins would have been approved by the FDA at some stage as fit to be used for hypocholesteremia. But subsequently according to this report has issued its first warnings against statin drugs, which include memory loss, diabetes, muscle damage, breast cancer, and so on.

These statins were approved by the American heart Association. In fact they gave guidelines in 2014, and it increased more than double the number of Americans taking statin drugs in keeping with the guidelines. The guidelines only does not recommend and exclude extremely fit people with no history of heart disease in the family or self and are under 40 years of age. According to the drug companies that manufacture them have educated doctors, health officials and indoctrinated that every person on the planet should be taking these cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The more you think about these manipulations the people lose confidence and may seek alternate medical practices for their wellbeing.
One article states that a team from Glasgow University calculated that use of statins increased the risk of type -2 diabetes by around 12 per cent after four years.
Can we believe this story? Have they checked up the lifestyles of the participants? What makes them not think that some of those participants may have got type -2 diabetes without being on cholesterol lowering drugs?

The incidence of diabetes is increasing due to more changes of lifestyles today, and difficult to believe that statins are responsible as its only cause.
Another problem in the Universities is that the Dons need to write papers and publish them for their survival. Most professionals attached to Universities do produce any rubbishy papers for their survival, which is understandable. It is a known fact again that what is proved in those papers written by the dons is disproved by others in time. So whom are we going to believe? It is a dilemma.

Let us all stick by nature, eat home-cooked food, minding your body weight, exercise daily and reduce stress factors and forget statins.
This article of mine was published in the Sunday Leader and in my book on “Cholesterol and Heart Disease” published by Yapa Book publishers as early as year 2005.
Many doctors criticised me for publishing the said article.

Any Cardiologist, please explain?

“An article by Tahnee Hopman, on,”Keep an eye on those cholesterol levels” (Feb 17, 2008. Sunday Times), writes, after an interview with Dr Gotabhaya Ranasinghe, Cardiologist at Sri Jayawardenapura General Hospital, that-

“Statins are the most effective drug to combat high cholesterol. They reduce the risk of a heart attack by around 40-45% as well as the risk of strokes and cause the regression of cholesterol deposits in the arteries. As with most forms of medication, there are a few side effects, but these can be minimized by changes in dosage. In some cases, the side effects can disappear with time.”

My observations written on the said article were:-

“The sales of statins in Sri Lanka have increased at least tenfold, just ask any Pharmacist in the city or the suburbs? Most average wage earners are concerned as statin tablets have to be taken daily for the rest of their lives, doesn’t come cheap. The price of each American labelled statin cost more than a packet of rice and curry, most wage earners eat for lunch.

Almost every Sri Lankan adult over 40, one meets is on some expensive statin medication.

Beds in government and private hospitals, including the intensive care units, are occupied mostly with patients suffering from coronary heart disease, would have taken their statins most religiously for long periods, as prescribed by their family doctors.
Long waiting lists are observed in the cardiac units in all surgical hospitals, private and public, for such procedures like open heart surgery and balloon angioplasty and stents.
More hospitals in the main cities are in the process of planning more cardiac units in their respective institutions, though the cost of equipment and maintenance are formidable and need frequent upgrading.

Has the magic pill, “Statin? really doing its job, or are we all taken for a ride by the giant American Drug Companies? Think about it! “
Written by Dr Harold Gunatillake- Health writer

So, from the reader’s point of view, what should we be recommending? Primarily, you should discuss with your doctor regarding continuation of the statin if you are prescribed one for hyperlipidaemia.

Though the incidence of side effects from statins is rising, the medical profession still believes that they have a place in their practices in the management of heart disease. Statins work by blocking the enzymes in the HMG cycle in the liver and reducing the blood cholesterol levels.

It is also a known fact that 60% of people having heart attacks have low cholesterol numbers. This is evidence to show that many factors are responsible for heart disease, and the most important one is the lifestyle changes and sedentary life.

About the litigation matter, by going through the histories of each litigant, it may be proved that they would have got Alzheimer’s disease, or heart disease, or others mentioned without taking cholesterol lowering drugs.

This can be proved going through the epidemiological findings in each country.

So, where are we? Are you going to continue with statins when FDA is not recommending them because of the risks involved, or are you going to continue? That is the question!