Alzheimer

Despite the Hype, Statin Drugs Found Medically Useless in Preventing Alzheimer's

Monday, September 08, 2008
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...)

Tags: Alzheimer's, Disease, Statins

Pin It
(NaturalNews) Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs do not provide any protection against Alzheimer's disease, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"This study adds to the growing evidence that statins don't lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease," lead researcher Zoe Arvanitakis said. "The study also found no association between taking statins and a slower cognitive decline among older people."

Prior studies on animals have suggested that taking statins might lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, and a human study in 2000 found that the disease was less common in those who took the cholesterol drugs. Researchers have speculated that this result might arise from the fact that cholesterol and inflammation are known to play a role in the development of Alzheimer's, and statins tend to reduce levels of both.

But a number of studies since 2000 have failed to replicate the same effect, leading many doctors to conclude that the drugs do not actually provide a benefit for cognitive health.

"There is good evidence that statins do not prevent Alzheimer's," said Dr. James Wright of the University of British Columbia, remarking on the body of current evidence.

The current study was conducted on 929 Catholic clergy members taking part in the Religious Orders Study on aging and Alzheimer's disease. All participants had no signs of dementia when the study began in January 1994. Just over 68 percent of them were female, and the average starting age was 75. The study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging.

The rate of statin use among the 191 participants who developed Alzheimer's disease was approximately the same as the rate of use in the general participant pool, leading the researchers to conclude that statins had no effect on the development of the disease. A brain autopsy was also conducted on all 250 participants who died during the study, and the researchers found no effect of statins on the occurrence of brain markers of Alzheimer's disease or strokes.

Strokes and Alzheimer's disease are the two primary causes of dementia, which is defined as a decrease in cognitive function greater than would normally be expected from aging.

Statin use also failed to protect against the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease, such as memory loss. Researchers measured cognitive function through a series of 19 tests of five different measures once per year for 12 years, until the study's conclusion in November 2006. Each participant's global cognition score was derived by combining the scores for measurements of episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, perceptual speed and visuospatial ability.

There was no association between statin use and the level of global cognition, nor was it associated with the rate of change in global cognition over time. Among only patients who developed Alzheimer's disease, statin use likewise failed to show any effect on the rate of cognitive decline.

According to Larry Sparks, director of the Roberts Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at the Sun Health Research Institute in Arizona, the sample size of the Rush study was too small to conclusively rule out statins as beneficial for Alzheimer's prevention. Sparks, one of the first researchers to report such a connection, says that the type of statin used might make a difference in the effect.

"Research suggests that statins that don't get into the brain may prevent or slow the progression of Alzheimer's," he said.

The Rush researchers did in fact test for any difference between two kinds of statins, depending on whether they were more or less lipophilic. Neither kind had any effect.

Sparks said he has had success in treating mild or moderate cases of Alzheimer's with statins. But Arvanitakis disagreed with this assessment.

"Physicians should not prescribe them for Alzheimer's disease," Arvanitakis said.

William Thies of the Alzheimer's Association said it is too early to totally rule out statins as beneficial for Alzheimer's. He expects a final answer from clinical trials that are currently ongoing. But he noted that as long as the issue remains unsettled, "there is no recommendation that you take statins for Alzheimer's disease."

Some researchers have speculated that early studies may have shown a cognitive benefit from statins simply due to the fact that people who are more concerned about their health appear to have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. People who are more concerned about their health are also more likely to take statins, which may create a correlation between statin use and decreased Alzheimer's risk where no causation exists.

Get breaking news alerts on GMOs, fluoride, superfoods, natural cures and more...
Join over four million monthly readers. Email privacy 100% protected. Unsubscribe at any time.

Articles Related to This Article:

How Acetyl-L-Carnitine prevents Alzheimer's disease and dementia while boosting brain function

NIH panel foolishly insists Alzheimer's can't be prevented (are they demented?)

Essential fatty acid phosphatidylserine (PS) is powerful prevention for memory loss, Alzheimer's and dementia

Caffeine May Prevent and Help Reverse Alzheimer's Disease

Melatonin may prevent Alzheimer's disease - sleep your way to brain health

Tips to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Revealed in Three Recent Studies

Related video from NaturalNews.TV


Your NaturalNews.TV video could be here.
Upload your own videos at NaturalNews.TV (FREE)



About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a noted technology pioneer and founded a software company in 1993 that developed the HTML email newsletter software currently powering the NaturalNews subscriptions. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org

Have comments on this article? Post them here:

 people have commented on this article.

Related Articles:

How Acetyl-L-Carnitine prevents Alzheimer's disease and dementia while boosting brain function

NIH panel foolishly insists Alzheimer's can't be prevented (are they demented?)

Essential fatty acid phosphatidylserine (PS) is powerful prevention for memory loss, Alzheimer's and dementia

Caffeine May Prevent and Help Reverse Alzheimer's Disease

Melatonin may prevent Alzheimer's disease - sleep your way to brain health

Tips to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Revealed in Three Recent Studies

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Permalink to this article:

Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.

Embed article link: (copy HTML code below):
Most Popular
Today | Week | Month | Year

See all Top Headlines...




GET YOUR FREE GIFT + SHOW DETAILS.


Now Available from NaturalNews.TV

Also on NaturalNews:

Health Ranger Videos
Activist music
CounterThink Cartoons
Food documentaries
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts
Colloidal Silver
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Support NaturalNews Sponsors:
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Most Popular Stories

U.S. dairy industry petitions FDA to approve aspartame as hidden, unlabeled additive in milk, yogurt, eggnog and cream
EXPOSED: Angelina Jolie part of a clever corporate scheme to protect billions in BRCA gene patents, influence Supreme Court decision (opinion)
Prominent rifle manufacturer killed in mysterious car crash days after posting psych drug link to school shooters
How Angelina Jolie was duped by cancer doctors into self mutilation for breast cancer she never had
Angelina Jolie inspires women to maim themselves by celebrating medically perverted double mastectomies
Facebook bans Gandhi quote as part of revisionist history purge
BREAKING: European Commission to criminalize nearly all seeds and plants not registered with government
Obama betrays America yet again by signing the 'Monsanto Protection Act' into law
Photos: Private military operatives hired to 'work' the Boston marathon with black backpacks, radiation detectors, tactical gear
Boston marathon bombing happened on same day as 'controlled explosion' drill by Boston bomb squad
Dr. Oz viciously attacks organic foods and farmers markets, pushes feedlot beef, urges clueless consumers to eat more pesticides and GMO (opinion)
USDA caves to food industry pressures, approves three new toxic meat preservatives

25 Amazing Facts About Food

This FREE downloadable report unveils a collection of astonishing and little-known facts about the food we eat very day. Click here to read it now...

 

Resveratrol and its Effects on Human Health and Longevity - Myth or Miracle.

Unlock the secrets of cellular health with the "miracle" nutrient Resveratrol Click here to read it now...

 

Nutrition Can Save America

FREE online report shows how we can save America through a nutrition health care revolution. "Eating healthy is patriotic!" Click here to read it now...

The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D

In this exclusive interview, Dr. Michael Holick reveals fascinating facts on how vitamin D is created and used in the human body to ward off chronic diseases like cancer, osteoporosis, mental disorders and more. Click here to read it now...

Vaccines: Get the Full Story

The International Medical Council on Vaccination has released, exclusively through NaturalNews.com, a groundbreaking document containing the signatures of physicians, brain surgeons and professors, all of which have signed on to a document stating that vaccines pose a significant risk of harm to the health of children. Click here to read it now...

Health Ranger Storable Organics

GMO-free, chemical-free foods and superfoods for long-term storage and preparedness. See selection at www.StorableOrganics.com



Recommended Resources On:

Natural News trends
Health Ranger news
Natural News GMOs
Mike Adams tracker
Natural News photos
Natural News Global
Natural News in focus
Natural News connect
Natural News shocking stories
Natural News radar
GMOs
Quackwatch
Vaccines
Health freedom
Dr. Paul Offit

This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2013 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.