Cholesterol-reducing drugs (statins) may lessen brain function, says ISU researcher

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/news/2009/feb/shin.shtml

02-23-09

Contacts:

Yeon-Kyun Shin, Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, [phone], [e-mail]

Dan Kuester, News Service, 515-294-0704, [e-mail]

Cholesterol-reducing drugs may lessen brain function, says ISU researcher

AMES, Iowa -- Research by an Iowa State University scientist suggests that cholesterol-reducing drugs known as statins may lessen brain function.

Yeon-Kyun Shin, a biophysics professor in the department of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, says the results of his study show that drugs that inhibit the liver from making cholesterol may also keep the brain from making cholesterol, which is vital to efficient brain function.

"If you deprive cholesterol from the brain, then you directly affect the machinery that triggers the release of neurotransmitters," said Shin. "Neurotransmitters affect the data-processing and memory functions. In other words -- how smart you are and how well you remember things."

Shin's findings will be published in this month's edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

…

[Another Bill C.]

1. I knew there was a reason for it. n/t

n/t

[Frustratedlady]

2. So, if I forget to take my pill every few days...

does that mean I have more memory than if I took them every day?

Just sayin'.

[Cronus Protagonist]

4. No, but if you take them all the time, you won't know what you're missing

:)

[blue neen]

3. Not only that, but that damn things made my legs hurt like crazy.

I reduced my cholesterol without the statins. My doctor said it couldn't be done, but I proved him wrong.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. My Dad had muscle aches & a chronic cough

Now, he's on some new statin, which has less severe side-effects…

[fadedrose]

15. How'd you do it?

What did you take or do without?

[Hekate]

6. Well, damn. Just damn. nt

[flamin lib]

7. Besids, they really don't make that big a difference.

Looking at the raw data from the Jupiter study (http://www.rxfiles.ca/rxfiles/uploads/documents/Lipid-Jupiter-trial-overview.pdf) 251 out of 8901 patients suffered a cardiac event (3%) taking a placebo and 142 taking statins out of 8901 (2%) patients suffered a cardiac event. Drug makers claim a 30% reduction in the RATE of cardiac events, but only saved 1% of the patients from a cardiac event. Meanwhile 3% developed diabetes.

Is that a risk you are willing to take?

[BlueJazz]

8. That's a load of Crap. I take cholesterol-lowering drugs and have....

...not ...

[TheDebbieDee]

9. You know, I've been taking statins for 5 or 6 years now......

And I feel dumber. A lot dumber............... :)

[BlueGADawg]

10. Sounds right to me

After my wife found me standing in the driveway one day in a stupor and not immediately recognizing her, that was the last straw with me and statins. I quit them and within about 3 weeks, I felt better than I had in years- all the fatigue, muscle tiredness and fuzzy-headedness was gone. It's not worth adding a couple of years to my life to live it feeling miserable all the time.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

11. So people with high cholesterol have higher brain function, that's me.

[cosmik debris]

13. I think people who have low cholesterol

Are easily convinced by large font headlines that say X MAY cause Y because research SUGGESTS that x MAY cause y.

Those of us with higher cholesterol see ambiguity and equivocation that others seem to miss.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

14. Agreed.

Cholesterol filled minds think alike.

David

[fadedrose]

16. "Those of us" includes me

What are you taking or not taking. Higher is relative. How much higher?

[havocmom]

12. would explain my brother's trip to the dark side

and all the shit emails he sent during the campaign.