![Serious Questions About What Statin Drugs Do to Your Brain about undefined](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxp-dh-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64b009b68bf37f6265aa0ae4%2Fassets%2F65f8b91a7ff3cc00131111f4%2Fseriousquestionsaboutwhatstatindrugsdotoyourbrainimage.jpeg&w=1920&q=70)
You Need Cholesterol
Another problem is that cholesterol happens to be one of the biggest constituents of brain tissue, and reducing our cholesterol levels is not necessarily a good idea. Because statins hold back the body’s production of cholesterol, they also inhibit what’s called the “myelination” of the brain’s neurons and other nerve cells in the body. Myelination refers to the creation of a certain kind of sheath – the myelin sheath – around nerves that quickens the movement of nerve impulses. Studies show that problems with myelination, which occur during a disease like multiple sclerosis, can make it harder to control muscular movement, dim your vision and generally make it harder to function with the tasks of everyday life.4 Another disturbing study, this one performed at the University of Rochester Medical Center, shows that statins may interfere with stem cells in the brain that are responsible for forming what are called astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Oligodendrocytes make up myelin sheaths while astrocytes secrete proteins that influence brain plasticity – how well neurons form new networks to help you learn and retain new information.5 Under normal circumstances, the brain stem cells examined by the University of Rochester researchers can mature into either astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. But their analysis shows that statins may make a large majority of the cells become oligodendrocytes, allowing only a very few to become astrocytes. The researchers say that no one knows what this change in brain stem cells might mean for long term brain health. The stem cells are supposed to be available to help the brain recover from infections, hemorrhages, strokes, concussion and inflammation. If, as their lab test indicates, the stem cells mostly can’t turn into astrocytes, it could prove damaging to memory and the recovery of other cognitive abilities after an illness.6More Side Effects
Other disturbing potential statin side effects include: Increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-like conditions: ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, affects neurons in the spinal cord and results in muscle atrophy and extreme weakness. A study in California shows that your risk for muscle weakness resembling that found in ALS is significantly increased when you take a statin. Unlike ALS, which has no cure, a statin-linked muscle weakness can usually be reversed when you stop taking the drug.7 Disturbed sleep and increased aggression: Research at the University of California at San Diego shows that statins can make it harder to sleep and may also make you more aggressive – although the aggressive effect was primarily found in women.8 (In the study, men actually became less aggressive.) All of this research tells me that we should be wary of statins. They are supposed to protect your heart health by lowering your LDL cholesterol – which is reputed to be “bad” cholesterol. In reality, it’s questionable whether or not these drugs protect your heart or whether lowering your LDL cholesterol is a good thing anyway. An international review study involving more than 68,000 elderly people actually found that people with higher LDL levels generally outlive folks with lower amounts.9 I am a long-time skeptic of the whole cholesterol theory of heart disease, and I do not take statin drugs despite the fact that my cholesterol is high. My high cholesterol makes me a little nervous – believe me, I get ragged about it a lot by doctors. But I will NOT take statins. As I’ve often said before, I can’t make any specific recommendations to you about your need to take or not to take prescription medications. All I can tell you is that for me the alleged benefits of these drugs are nowhere near convincing enough to be worth the risks.- https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/14/905
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31030614
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4226312/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29078396
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30344043
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18383345
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29427042
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0124451
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4908872/#__ffn_sectitle