Cholesterol is the word on every doctor’s lips when their patient reaches a certain age or weight. Their patients are typically prescribed statins, drugs that lower cholesterol by blocking substances your liver needs to produce cholesterol and helps your body reabsorb cholesterol in your arteries. The theory is that these drugs can prevent heart attacks, but this claim has yielded mixed results. (Updated June 3 2022)
Commonly prescribed drugs include atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Altoprev), pitavastatin (Livalo), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor) (1).
What you Should Know About Statins
Although these drugs are praised as being life-saving, researchers have warned that they can affect stem cells, prevent cell repair, create nerve problems and destroy memory.
This is because cholesterol plays a role in the formation of hormones, bile, cell maintenance and communication between neurones and nerve cells. Researchers also warn that statins cause an increased risk of diabetes, the breakdown of muscle fibers, and an increase in protein levels in your urine.
Other side effects include (2,3,4,5):
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