Statins & Heart Disease Protection?

  I am still amazed at the number of patients who are still taking Statin drugs as a primary tool to prevent heart disease and cardiovascular events. Actually most physicians haven't even read the study that they are basing all these prescriptions on so why should the general public.

  Recently I had an opportunity to read an article by Dr. David Seaman which impressed me with its thoroughness and simplicity. This is one of the easiest to understand articles I have read on the Jupiter study, the study often cited support for Statin use.

  In the years since the Jupiter study several follow-up studies have shown that the there is little or no support for Statin drugs as a prevention therapy in "lower-risk primary prevention populations." Following the publishing by these other researchers Dr. Ridker, the primary author of the Jupiter study, commented on one of the follow-ups with: "I agree with the Ray et al., bottom line, which is what we have always said over and over: the first things to do to prevent heart disease is to eat a proper diet, exercise regularly and stop smoking." Following this great advise Dr. Ridker then made the misleading statement that being on a Statin will cut one's risk of having a heart event by 50%."

  Lets look at the numbers from his Jupiter study.
8,901 Statin patients: 1.6% had events.  8,901 non-Statin placebo patients: 2.8% had events.
These means that 98.4% of the Statin subjects did not have events and 97.2% of the placebo patients did not have an event. Correct me if I am wrong but I do not see the saving of 50% more lives taking Statins that Dr. Ridker was referencing from his study.

  Let us now look at what many recent studies are showing. One of the main causes of heart disease and Cardiovascular events is actually inflammation. As even Dr. Ridker said: "the first things to do to prevent heart disease is to eat a proper diet, exercise regularly and stop smoking." The current American diet is high in processed foods and sugar. This results in system-wide inflammation. This inflammation then increases the risk of a cardiac event and death.

  A few anti-inflammatories that you can add immediately are the herbs ginger and turmeric. These can be added to your meals today. Another addition to your daily regimen is the herb Boswellia, from Frankinscence. This is an herb that I use on a daily basis to control the inflammatory activity from a couple of injuries years ago. I take 300 to 1200 mgs/day along with an antiinflammatory diet which includes lots of fruit and vegetables, coconut, grape seed and olive oils and lots of herbs when cooking. Remember, prevention is far more enjoyable than recovery.