Statins vs. supplements: New study finds one is 'vastly superior' to cut cholesterol - NPR

Millions of Americans are prescribed statins to trim the hazard of bosom disease, but galore similar to instrumentality supplements similar food oil, ail and flaxseed. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images hide caption

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Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

Millions of Americans are prescribed statins to trim the hazard of bosom disease, but galore similar to instrumentality supplements similar food oil, ail and flaxseed.

Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

If you were prescribed medicine to little your hazard of a bosom onslaught oregon stroke, would you instrumentality it?

Millions of Americans are prescribed statins specified arsenic Lipitor, Crestor oregon generic formulations to little their cholesterol. But tons of radical are hesitant to commencement the medication.

Some radical fret implicit imaginable broadside effects specified arsenic limb cramps, which whitethorn beryllium - oregon whitethorn not beryllium - linked to the drug. As an alternative, dietary supplements, often marketed to beforehand bosom health, including food lipid and other omega-3 supplements (Omega-3's are indispensable fatty acids recovered successful food and flaxseed), are growing successful popularity.

So, which is astir effective? Researchers astatine the Cleveland Clinic acceptable retired to reply this question by comparing statins to supplements successful a objective trial. They tracked the outcomes of 190 adults, ages 40 to 75. Some participants were fixed a 5 mg regular dose of rosuvastatin, a statin that is sold nether the marque sanction Crestor for 28 days. Others were fixed supplements, including food oil, cinnamon, garlic, turmeric, works sterols oregon reddish yeast atom for the aforesaid period.

The shaper of Crestor, Astra Zeneca sponsored the study, but the researchers worked independently to plan the survey and tally the statistical analysis.

"What we recovered was that rosuvastatin lowered LDL cholesterin by astir 38% and that was vastly superior to placebo and immoderate of the six supplements studied successful the trial," survey writer Luke Laffin, M.D. of the Cleveland Clinic's Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute told NPR. He says this level of simplification is capable to little the hazard of bosom attacks and strokes. The findings are published successful the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"Oftentimes these supplements are marketed arsenic 'natural ways' to little your cholesterol," says Laffin. But helium says nary of the dietary supplements demonstrated immoderate important alteration successful LDL cholesterin compared with a placebo. LDL cholesterin is considered the 'bad cholesterol' due to the fact that it tin lend to plaque build-up successful the artery walls – which tin constrictive the arteries, and acceptable the signifier for bosom attacks and strokes.

"Clearly, statins bash what they're intended to do," the study's elder writer Steve Nissen, M.D., a cardiologist and Chief Academic Officer of the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute astatine Cleveland Clinic told NPR. By comparison, helium says this probe shows that supplements are not effective. "They bash not beforehand bosom health. They bash not amended levels of the atrocious cholesterol." Nissen says supplements tin beryllium costly compared to statin medications. Depending connected insurance, Nissen says radical whitethorn wage little than $5.00 a period out-of-pocket for rosuvastatin.

"Statins are the astir effectual bosom onslaught and changeable prevention drugs that we person truly ever seen," says Michael Honigberg, MD, a cardiologist and researcher astatine Massachusetts General Hospital who is not affiliated with the caller study. He says the caller findings adhd to an already ample assemblage of grounds showing statins little LDL cholesterol, and he's not amazed to spot that the supplements were not arsenic effective.

However, helium says, not everyone with a household past of bosom illness oregon somewhat elevated cholesterin should beryllium connected a statin. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association developed immoderate prescription guidelines. Typically, if a person's LDL cholesterin (bad cholesterol) is 190 oregon higher, they're often advised to commencement a statin. Health attraction professionals usage a risk calculator to estimation a person's hazard of having a bosom onslaught oregon changeable implicit the adjacent 10 years. If the hazard is precocious enough, based connected factors including age, humor unit and smoking status, past a statin whitethorn beryllium recommended.

Honingberg says for radical who person somewhat elevated cholesterol, but are not astatine precocious capable hazard to beryllium prescribed a statin, helium recommends that they absorption connected fare and exercise, alternatively than buying supplements. "I archer my patients to prevention their wealth and alternatively walk that wealth connected eating bosom healthy, precocious prime food." He points to studies that amusement heart-healthy diets, including Mediterranean diets which stress steadfast fats, tons of fruits, vegetables and full grains and the DASH diet, importantly trim the hazard of bosom disease. "I deliberation a formulation that we possibly don't usage capable is that nutrient is medicine and is astir apt a much effectual medicine than supplements," says Honingberg.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, portion of the National Institutes of Health, has besides concluded, based connected anterior research, that omega-3 supplements bash not trim the hazard of bosom disease, but eating food – which contains omega-3 fatty acids – is linked to a reduced risk. This suggests that omega-3 fatty acids are astir beneficial arsenic portion of a steadfast diet. And it's worthy noting that the NIH reappraisal concludes that omega-3 supplements whitethorn assistance relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Omega 3's are besides added to babe formulas to beforehand encephalon development. The NIH reappraisal besides concludes that omega-3 supplements tin little triglycerides, a benignant of abdominous recovered successful the blood. But Dr. Honingberg says this whitethorn beryllium recommended for a "small subset of patients" with precise precocious triglyceride levels.

As for radical whose hazard of bosom illness is precocious capable to warrant a statin prescription, Dr. Honingberg says helium spends a just magnitude of clip talking done concerns with patients.

"We speech astir the fantabulous information illustration and the very, precise debased hazard of broadside effects," helium says. He describes the hazard of superior broadside effects arsenic "vanishingly small."

Sometimes patients halt taking a statin due to the fact that they judge it's causing a definite broadside effect. But Honingberg points to a double-blind research study that showed erstwhile patients were fixed a placebo successful spot of a statin, patients reported feeling astir of the aforesaid broadside effects. "So the punch enactment of the proceedings is radical blasted statins for broadside effects the statins aren't truly causing," helium says.