Longevity science

Most people who stop taking cholesterol-lowering statins - because of side effects or for another reason - are able to restart the same drug or a similar one without lasting problems, a new study suggests.

That's important because for people who need statins, quitting them for good increases the chance of serious heart problems, researchers said, so doctors and patients should think carefully before letting milder reactions lead them to give up on the drugs altogether.

A new understanding of the immune system may be paving the way for the development of a vaccine for heart disease.

“If successful, a tolerogenic vaccine could stop the inflammation component of heart disease,” [Dr. Klaus] stated. “This could probably be used in conjunction with the statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) that have already taken a significant chunk out of the numbers of people with heart disease. Together, they could deliver a nice one-two punch that could be important in further reducing heart disease.”

(Reuters Health) - Danish cancer patients taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs were 15 percent less likely to die, of cancer or any other cause, than patients who were not on the popular medications, in a new study.

The pattern held regardless of a person's age, cancer type, tumor size or whether it had spread. Only patients who had received chemotherapy showed no apparent benefit from taking statins - the most commonly-prescribed drugs in the world.

There is a large population that take 'statin drugs' to lower cholesterol.

These drugs are very effective, but can result in muscle pain and fatigue. Why? The drugs deplete the body's natural reserves of CoEnzyme Q10, which is involved in energy production at the cellular level.

Fortunately, supplementing with the enzyme can help restore the blood levels and counterract the side effects. But few doctors mention this when they prescribe the drugs.