Friday, January 20, 2012

You Docs: Cholesterol-lowering drug offers several benefits

January 10, 2012, DR. MIKE ROIZEN AND DR. MEHMET OZ

Here’s a surprise: Statins, the drugs used to lower cholesterol, have more than one benefit when consumed. They also prevent heart attacks and strokes. So, what makes statins such superpowers?


First, they do reduce lousy LDL cholesterol, which helps keep your arteries younger, more flexible and freer of plaque. That’s terrific for your heart, brain and all of your roughly 10 trillion cells. Second, statins cool chronic inflammation, which effectively cools cancer activity and cardiovascular mayhem, not to mention reduces inflammatory diseases like arthritis. But that’s not all.

Statins also:

• Protect against prostate cancer, enlarged prostates and erectile dysfunction.
• Fend off dangerous blood clots in your legs and lungs.

• Slash your risk of cataracts.

• Protect against Alzheimer’s. Some statins — particularly Crestor and Lipitor (atorvastatin) — could cut your risk by 60 per cent.

• Shrink and stabilize any plaque pileups already in your arteries.

• Help protect Type 2 diabetics against an extra-high threat of heart disease.

And there’s more. Turns out the top benefit of taking statins for years isn’t protecting you against heart disease and stroke, though that doesn’t waver. Long-term use also greatly reduces your chances of dying from infectious diseases, news that surprises even statin researchers.

New data reveals that if you get a seriously nasty flu infection, statins can be life savers. People hospitalized for influenza who don’t take statins are almost twice as likely to die from flu as those who do.

There are huge payoffs to taking this one tiny pill.

YouDocs Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen are authors of YOU: Losing Weight. Order it at StarStore.ca. Submit questions and find more info at RealAge.com

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/1112662


What are some examples of Statins?  Statins that are approved for use in the U.S. include:
atorvastatin (Lipitor),
fluvastatin (Lescol),
lovastatin (Mevacor),
pravastatin (Pravachol),
rosuvastatin (Crestor),
simvastatin (Zocor), and
pitavastatin (Livalo).





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