I expected this promotion from
“experts” after my last blog because they must be short of funds
and needed to blast the public about the need for statins. The
questions they raised as being an unproven link between statins and
diabetes is a reach. This is because the link between statins and
diabetes is on solid ground and proven.
I need to question the titles given
these “experts” by the author and if they are truly
world-renowned researchers. It seems a little over the top and
obvious that they are doing this to refill their coffers. By
claiming that there is an unproven link between statins and type 2
diabetes, they have left themselves open to others that have shown in
studies a 2 to 25 percent link. The “experts” only will consider
a very high dose of statins as having a potential link if even then.
Charles H. Hennekens, M.D, Dr.P.H., the
first Sir Richard Doll professor and senior academic advisor to the
dean, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU; Bettina
Teng, BA, a recent pre-med honors graduate of the Harriet L. Wilkes
Honors College at FAU; and Marc A. Pfeffer, M.D., Ph.D., the Dzau
professor of medicine at HMS, emphasize to clinicians that the risk
of diabetes, even if real, pales in comparison to the benefits of
statins in both the treatment and primary prevention of heart attacks
and strokes.
By over emphasizing the benefits of
statins, they describe something that is very difficult to prove and
happens to a less than 25 percent of people taking statins.
"The totality of evidence
clearly indicates that the more widespread and appropriate
utilization of statins, as adjuncts, not alternatives to therapeutic
lifestyle changes, will yield net benefits in the treatment and
primary prevention of heart attacks and strokes, including among
high, medium and low risk patients unwilling or unable to adopt
therapeutic lifestyle changes," said Hennekens.
In the accompanying editorial, Joseph
S. Alpert, M.D., editor-in-chief and a renowned cardiologist and
professor of medicine at the University of Arizona School of
Medicine, reinforces these important and timely clinical and public
health challenges in treatment and primary prevention.
"There is no threshold for low
density lipoprotein cholesterol below which there are no net benefits
of statins either in the treatment or primary prevention of heart
attacks and strokes," said Alpert.
The authors and editorialist express
grave concerns that there will be many needless premature deaths as
well as preventable heart attacks and strokes if patients who would
clearly benefit from statins are not prescribed the drug, refuse to
take the drug, or stop using the drug because of ill-advised adverse
publicity about benefits and risks, which may include misplaced
concerns about the possible but unproven small risk of diabetes.
"These public health issues are
especially alarming in primary prevention, particularly among women,
for whom cardiovascular disease also is the leading cause of death,
and for whom there is even more under-utilization of statins than for
men," said Hennekens.
If you believe these “experts,” I
would urge you to read my two blogs from January 24 and January 25
and go to Dr. Malcolm Kendrick's blog. Using his search for his
blogs, below the two books listed in the right column and below the
follow his blog, type in the word statins and bring up a list of his
blogs about statins. Be sure to read this blog about the death of Dr. Duane Graveline for some still denied serious side effects.
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