Knowledge of Health, Inc. 457 West Allen Avenue #117 San Dimas, California 91773 Phone: 909.861.3454 Fax: 909.861.3442 Email: Bsardi@aol.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8/17/2001 Contact: Bill Sardi
SAN DIMAS, CA.- A recent research study which indicates antioxidant vitamins may stunt the cholesterol-lowering effect of statin drugs is flawed, says Bill Sardi, president of Knowledge of Health, Inc. and a California-based health advocate.
The study in question, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, reported that statin drugs (Zocor) raised HDL "good" cholesterol levels by 25 percent but the addition of antioxidant supplements produced only an 18 percent HDL increase. HDL cholesterol is called "reverse cholesterol" because of its ability to transport fatty cholesterol back to the liver thus preventing buildup within blood vessel walls.
The reasoning behind this study is false, says Sardi. "Cholesterol-lowering drugs cause the liver to malfunction, and their use requires frequent testing for elevated liver enzymes (a marker of liver disease). High-dose niacin may cause similar problems. Antioxidants on the other hand work to prevent the oxidation (hardening) of LDL cholesterol within blood vessel walls and are essential for life. There are no studies that indicate antioxidant vitamins, even when taken in high doses, increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke."
A European study concluded that "Supplementation of nutritional antioxidants, which are rich in polyphenols (red wine, licorice, olive oil), or of selenium to humans, or statin drugs in hyperocholesterolaemic patients, were shown to reduce the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation. This effect could be associated with a reduction in the size of the atherosclerotic lesion and may thus contribute to attenuation of the atherosclerotic process." [Eur J Clin Chem Clin Biochem 1996 Aug;34(8):599-608]
Cholesterol is not a tell-all number in regards to cardiovascular disease. As many people experience a fatal heart attack with a total cholesterol count under 200 as over 300. This may be indicative of the need to reduce homocysteine levels via consumption of B vitamins obtained from fresh plant foods or food supplements. Food supplementation with folic acid, a B vitamin, has recently been found superior to foods in reducing elevated homocysteine levels. Sudden-death heart attack may be related to a lack of magnesium and essential fatty acids for which food supplements may be the only way to obtain sufficient levels of these nutrients.
There is far less (if any) health risk taking food supplements to prevent cardiovascular disease compared to the risks of liver disease associated with statin drugs, says Sardi. He says there are studies which indicate total cholesterol can be driven too low (below 180) with statin drugs which may increase the risk of cancer, mental depression and suicide. ####