The first nail in the coffin for statin drugs

I’ve been waiting for this day to come for a long time. And praise the Lord, y’all — it’s here at last! Finally, we’re witnessing the beginning of the end of the statin empire.

Not to put too fine a point on anything, of course… Because the researchers behind the finding I want to share today made certain to strategically limit their focus by targeting one very specific group of people.

But you know what? I’ll take it. This is still a major triumph for common sense in clinical practice. And once you hear the details, you’ll understand why…

Statins are worthless once you hit 75

Let’s get right to the point: A large observational study recently showed that statin drugs don’t prevent atherosclerotic heart disease (triggered by hardening of the arteries) — or death by any cause — among non-diabetic adults over the age of 75.

Just to make this crystal clear, here are all the conditions that atherosclerotic heart disease encompasses: fatal and nonfatal angina, heart attack, coronary artery bypass surgery, and both fatal and non-fatal stroke.

That’s right. Turns out, statins won’t ward off any of the above. At least not among the elderly.

Researchers came to this conclusion using data from more than 45,000 Catalonian subjects aged 75 and older. The average age was 77, just over 60 percent were women, and none of the subjects had a history of heart disease between 2006 and 2015.

And let me repeat, in patients without diabetes, statin treatment delivered zero reductions in risk of heart disease or all-cause mortality in anyone over the age of 75.

These results were recently published in the British Medical Journal. And they drive home a very important message: The widespread use of statins among the elderly needs to stop NOW. Because there is NO evidence to support the use of cholesterol drugs in this population.

Not that there ever was, in my opinion. But maybe, just maybe, mainstream doctors will start to listen now…

Diminishing — and deadly — returns

As you might have predicted, this strike against statins didn’t come without a caveat. Specifically, the study authors claim that among diabetics aged 75 to 84, statin therapy cuts heart disease and all-cause mortality by 25 percent and 16 percent, respectively.

I know, I know. Don’t get me started on the fuzzy logic involved in prescribing statins to diabetics. But you didn’t expect these researchers to sacrifice all of their funding on the altar of good science, now did you?

Nevertheless, the undeniable fact remains: After 85, it’s still time to flush those drugs right down the toilet where they belong.

That is if you haven’t already. (And considering older adults face the most potentially devastating side effects — from muscle pain and weakness to dementia — I certainly hope you have…)

Because here’s the truth: Many statin users started taking these drugs when they first hit the market. Which means that the oldest among them will have already eked out whatever meager benefit the drug could possibly ever offer.

But unfortunately, mainstream docs just keep refilling prescriptions.

That’s why I’ll take my victories when and where I can get them. And this latest study is a big one, however imperfect it might be.

There are more like it in the works, too. (Among them, an ongoing Australian trial, which is pitting statins against placebo in adults over the age of 70.)

It may be a few years before we get a look at those results. But I must say, I’m excited about the fallout already. The statin wall is crumbling — no doubt about it.

In the meantime, you can get started on the safe, natural strategies that do work for preventing and reversing heart disease with my new Ultimate Heart-Protection Protocol. Click here to learn more about this life-saving online learning tool, or enroll today.

Source:

medscape.com/viewarticle/902217