According to NHS statistics, it won’t be long before one in four adults over the age of 40, in the UK, is taking a statin drug... There’s a similar statin drive currently taking place in the US. The US government's National Cholesterol Education Programme panel advised those at risk for heart disease to attempt to reduce their LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol to specific, very low levels by taking statins.

Frankly, the statin-craze is down right ridiculous and the fact that these drugs are dominating the market is a clear indication of the power of Big Pharma’s marketing machine... the odds are almost 100 to 1, that if you’re taking a statin drug you don’t need it!

Worse still, statin drugs have severe side effects... this is a well-established fact and once you’ve been hoarded onto the statin bandwagon you can brace yourself for at least one or more of the following: liver problems, acute kidney failure, muscle weakness and cataracts... to mention but of few of statins’ ever-expanding list of side effects.

The latest addition to that ghastly list of side effects is DIABETES!

Here’s a scenario that could be becoming increasingly familiar amongst statin users:

Statin User visits doctor for a routine check-up. Blood tests show that Statin User’s cholesterol ratios have improved, but all of a sudden, Statin User has high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia).

Doctor says to Statin User: “Sorry to inform you, but you now have Type 2 Diabetes because I notice you show one of the symptoms... hyperglycaemia, so lets start treating you for that too.”

The truth is, your doctor could be horribly wrong!

Hyperglycaemia is yet another side effect of statin drugs... and for some people, it may be reversible as soon as they stop taking statins... however left untreated, matters could become far worse...

Several studies have now shown that statins can cause high blood sugar:

• A meta-analysis published in The Lancet, reviewed randomized controlled trials beginning in 1994 and ending in 2009. These trials involved a total of 91,140 participants taking either a statin or a placebo. The researchers found that people treated with statins showed a 9 per cent increase in diabetes.

• UK researchers conducted a meta-analysis, known as the JUPITER trial, which took into account 13 statin trials which each included 1,000 patients or more. The participants were followed for over a year. They concluded that there was indeed an increase, even though very small, in the development of Type 2 diabetes in patients treated with statins.

This brings us to the pancreatic hormone, insulin, which reduces blood sugar (blood glucose). We all need insulin to maintain healthy blood glucose levels... and as you may have guessed, too much insulin is a bad thing, because when insulin levels are elevated it causes inflammation... that leads to heart disease (the one things statins are meant to PREVENT).

Chronically elevated insulin causes a cascade of inflammatory chemicals and high cortisol which increases the risk of abdominal fat, high blood pressure, heart attacks, chronic fatigue, thyroid disruption, plus major diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and cancer.

And guess what? Statin drugs INCREASE insulin levels... which not only raises your risk of diabetes... but also all of the above!

If left untreated, your hyperglycaemia (which your doctor may wrongly diagnose as Type 2 Diabetes), could catapult you into a series of health problems you did not bargain for... Whatever you do, don’t take your doctor’s first diagnosis as being set in stone and don’t start taking any prescription drugs for Type 2 diabetes before you get a second opinion...

Whilst you’re at it, ask yourself, do you really need to take that little statin pill? Is it worth it or are there other healthier ways with which you can maintain optimum cholesterol levels?

Well done Big Pharma, you’ve succeeded in flooding the market with a dangerous drug that not only causes serious harm to those taking it but also induces life-threatening diseases in far too many patients by playing havoc with the body’s normal biological functions!

Until next time,

The Cholesterol Truth

Sources:

‘Statins and risk of incident diabetes: a collaborative meta-analysis of randomised statin trials’ The Lancet, Volume 375, Issue 9716, Pages 735 - 742, 27 February 2010

‘Balancing the benefits of statins versus a new risk—diabetes’ The Lancet, Volume 375, Issue 9716, Pages 700 - 701, 27 February 2010

‘Effect of Statins on Fasting Plasma Glucose in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Patients’ Journal of Investigative Medicine: March 2009 - Volume 57 - Issue 3 - pp 495-499

University College of London Hospitals, UCHL guidelines on statin prescription, published online, uclh.nhs.uk