Statin Facts

Statins are a classification of drugs intended to lower cholesterol. Common ones include Lipitor, Zocor, and Pravachol. One in 4 adults over forty are on some kind of cholesterol reducing drug, and 93% of those are statins.

Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver, and glucose is the raw material for making it. A smaller percentage of cholesterol comes from diet (about 25%) in the form of animal products. Since glucose is used to make cholesterol, blocking cholesterol production can also result in a backlog of glucose. This raises blood sugar. One in 100 people develop diabetes as a result of statin use.

While cholesterol gets a bad rep, our bodies require it for the production of so many important compounds! Fat and cholesterol together combine to make bile salts which are used to make many critical hormones. Progesterone, cortisol, DHEA, testosterone, estrogens, and vitamin D all depend on cholesterol for synthesis. Block the production of cholesterol, and many of these essential hormones can decrease, too.

Statins work by blocking HMG CoA reductase, the rate-controlling enzyme of the mevalonate pathway, the metabolic pathway that produces cholesterol. But cholesterol production isn’t the only thing that gets blocked. The mevalonate pathway also produces CoQ10, an enzyme that plays a critical role in energy production. Without CoQ10, energy production drops drastically. Side effects of statins include severe fatigue and muscle pain as a result of the CoQ10 deficiency. It can also contribute to obesity and Type 2 diabetes. You can take CoQ10 as a supplement, and if you take statins, it’s probably a good idea.

If statins are sounding less attractive to you at this point, you might be wondering about other ways to control cholesterol levels that don’t mess up the rest of our metabolism. Yes, 25% of our cholesterol comes from animal products, but vegetarians and vegans can have high cholesterol too! You can cut back on meat, eggs, and dairy, but that might not be enough to solve the problem.

The real culprit isn’t necessarily animal products. It’s sugar. Remember that the raw material for cholesterol is sugar? Reduce the amount of glucose in the diet, and the cholesterol will drop too.
Cholesterol gets recycled as well as produced in the liver. A sluggish liver cannot break down cholesterol fast enough, and this may cause it to build up. There are lots of reasons for your liver to be overwhelmed and not functioning properly. Environmental toxins, fatty liver, or a genetic predisposition can all slow liver function. How can you support liver function? Detoxing is one way to lessen the burden on your liver (See “Cleanse to Heal” and “Liver Rescue” by Anthony Williams).

And you can support your liver with herbs! The “Love Your Liver” formula contains five herbs that support liver function and help process cholesterol more quickly: milk thistle, globe artichoke, plantain, chamomile, and dandelion root.