The FDA is now requiring drug companies to add an additional WARNING to their cholesterol-lowering statins (or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors). New studies have shown that statins greatly increase the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.
Statins Increase HbA1C
Hemoglobin A1C, (HbA1C) is a great test. It allows us to see how blood sugar is effecting our red blood cells (therefore our entire body). High blood sugar forms a “crust” on our red blood cells. The higher the blood sugar the more crust. The HbA1C test accurately determines how much crusting in going on.
Like most drugs, statins are designed to create the illusion of health by shutting off the liver’s ability to create cholesterol. Since your body works together as a whole and not in separate parts (shh…don’t tell your doctor this), it’s not surprising that statins are causing issues in other parts of the body, in this case: the promotion of insulin resistance and diabetes.
Do We Even Need Statins?
In my clinical experience, the answer to this question is a resounding NO!
If your doctor is still using the outdated “total cholesterol” test, he/she is missing the boat. It is the environment surrounding the cholesterol that determines if it will stick or not. This is why more than 50% of those hospitalized for heart attack and stroke have NORMAL cholesterol levels.
The best way to truly answer this question is by running a comprehensive cholesterol test with cardio-genomics. This test looks at multiple factors that influence cholesterol’s behavior and looks into the DNA to decide what TYPE of diet one should have.
The results can help doctors and patients decide if statins (pharmaceutical or natural red rice yeast extract) are necessary. In almost all cases they are not, and when they are, use is only needed temporally.
What Else Does Statins Mess Up?
Statins act like an off-switch to your liver. Most of our cholesterol is CREATED in the liver. If you want cholesterol levels to look good on a blood test, all you need to do is…keep the liver from creating cholesterol.
When our body creates anything, in this case, cholesterol, it also creates one or more by-products that our body needs to stay healthy. Since statins turn off the cholesterol creation pathway, it also shuts off the creation of those by-products. In this case, it’s CoQ10 and prenylated proteins.
CoQ10 and Statins
CoQ10 is a vitamin-like substance that keeps every cell clear of damaging energy by-products. Think of turning smoke from a power plant back into the harmless water. That’s the function of CoQ10. Statins deplete CoQ10 levels that lead to cell damage.
You can check your levels with a simple CoQ10 blood test. Based on the results, your doctor can figure the right supplementation dose for you.
Prenylated Proteins and Statins
To put it simply, prenylated proteins are proteins that are “active” and are necessary for a cell to work correctly. Since they are a by-product of cholesterol production, they are also depleted by statins.
The bottom line is if you want to avoid the downward spiral of medications, you must take responsibility for your own health, and not leave it completely to our mainstream health system.
Because I am committed to helping you in the education process, I will personally help customers of True Health Labs understand their test results at no charge.
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Dr. Brady Hurst (DC, CCCN)