Re: Blog on Statins FYI

On Sep 24, 2:42 pm, "Juhana Harju" <n...@xxxxxxx> wrote:

I don't think so. Not referring to any studies does not mean that there are
no studies. ;-)

I did not say there were no studies on any of these issues. I said it
bothers me that he never cites any.

I did not find any studies
directly examining the effect of plant stanols to cardiovascular event

That is exactly my point.

, but
is it realistic to expect such study to be conducted?

Perhaps not, but neither is it reasonable to advertise products as
"heart healthy" etc. when there is no proof that the claim is true.
If you research plant sterols, for instance, you will find that there
are some legitimate questions about whether they are safe or not.


Not to
mention that, for people who already have high CAC scores, lowering
their LDL through diet and exercise is unlikely to undo the damage
that has already accumulated, although it may lower the rate of plaque
accumulation and have other benefits.

It depends of the program designed. The studies done by Dr. Ornish and Dr.
Esselstyn show that it is possible to reduce the amount of plaque by a
comprehensive life style program or by a strict diet. That might not be
suitable for everyone but for some people it might be.


Possibly. My point is that if you already have atherosclerosis, the
horse is kind of out of the barn. At that point, you may be worried
about stabilizing the plaque, as well as minimizing plaque
progression. There is reason to think statins can stabilize plaque to
some degree.


If you add pomegranate juice and vitamin K2 to that program it might be even
more efficient.

Administering fish oils is a good way to stablize the plaque and prevent
them from having a heart attack.

I'm not against fish oil, or pomegranate juice or whatever.


I'm not an expert on niacin, but I'm not sure why you would prefer
using niacin over a statin. Niacin has a number of side-effects
(e.g., raises BG). If he has reasons for preferring niacin, he should
say what they are and cite the evidence for them.

If the problem is low HDL niacin might be a good choice.

Perhaps. The point is not just to lower LDL or raise HDL, though.
The point is to reduce your risk of having a cardiovascular event.

The overall point I was trying to make is that Dr. Davis never cites
any studies to back up anything he says. My point was not to promote
statins over other interventions. I have an open mind and I am
willing to look at the available evidence. It is just annoying that
he never cites any. I also do not think people who are at high risk
should be discouraged from trying a statin. Some people can't
tolerate statins, but many people can.

Marilyn

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Kaiser "cholesterol clinic" experience
    ... "The study, Effects of High-Dose Modified-Release Nicotinic Acid on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Function, compares the increase in carotid artery plaque over a 12-month period in subjects taking niacin versus those taking a placebo. ... The revealing hitch in this study is that both groups were on statins, which means the group on statins alone was the placebo group. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Kaiser "cholesterol clinic" experience
    ... For everyone in general, and Ellen in particular, good discussion, citations and images wrt to arterial plaque regression with niacin vs. statin: ... "The study, Effects of High-Dose Modified-Release Nicotinic Acid on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Function, compares the increase in carotid artery plaque over a 12-month period in subjects taking niacin versus those taking a placebo. ... The revealing hitch in this study is that both groups were on statins, which means the group on statins alone was the placebo group. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: statins dont reduce dementia risk
    ... Jason wrote: ... > In article, Jim Chinnis ... >> statins, I was wrong to do so. ... > Statins and Plaque ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Cholesterol Drug Reverses Heart Disease
    ... Two-thirds of the 349 study participants had regression of heart ... problems and kidney damage, especially among Asians. ... What is the the relationship of plaque to the arterial wall that it ... that made statins. ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Cholesterol Drug Reverses Heart Disease
    ... Two-thirds of the 349 study participants had regression of heart ... problems and kidney damage, especially among Asians. ... "stable" plaque might be better off left as it is? ... that made statins. ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)