Foods4BetterHealth Reports Statin Drug Users Careless with Their Health: Study

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Foods4BetterHealth reports on a recent study that found that people who take the drug statin do not practice healthy habits.

Foods4BetterHealth.com, a food and nutrition web site that promotes healthy foods to prevent disease and illness, is reporting on a study that found that patients prescribed statins have steadily increased their caloric intake over the last 10 years.

As Foods4BetterHealth details (http://www.foods4betterhealth.com/why-cholesterol-drugs-could-be-doing-you-harm-9872), statin drugs are commonly used to keep the bad type of cholesterol (known as LDL cholesterol) manageable. Statin drugs inhibit an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase, which controls cholesterol production in the liver. Statins work to replace that enzyme, which then slows down the cholesterol production process.

As the Foods4BetterHealth article “Why Cholesterol Drugs Could Be Doing You Harm” states, diet and lifestyle play an important role in whether or not an individual will develop cholesterol problems. The consumption of too much fat, sugar, calories, fast food, and/or alcohol is clearly part of the problem, and drugs should not be a substitute for good health practices.

“Part of the responsibility is on the patient for choosing medication over a lifestyle overhaul,” says Dr. Kevin McLaughlin, health and wellness specialist for Foods4BetterHealth. “However, it’s also possible that physicians are contributing to the problem by shifting the focus from lifestyle changes and prevention to simply prescribing the medication and monitoring the patient on the statins. It’s easier to tell people to pop pills than outline and enforce a proper diet and activity regime.”

The Foods4BetterHealth report notes that statin drug users have a higher caloric intake. New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that patients who were prescribed statins had increased their intake of calories by 10% and fat by 14% over 10 years compared to people who did not use the drugs. The average amount of weight gain in the statin users was between eight and 10 pounds. (Source: Sugiyama, T., et al., “Different Time Trends of Caloric and Fat Intake Between Statin Users and Nonusers Among US Adults,” JAMA Intern Med. 2014; doi:10.1001 jamainternmed.2014.1927.)

The Foods4BetterHealth report concludes that overlooking exercise and one’s diet is never the right approach when looking to lower one’s cholesterol. Further, the use of drugs doesn’t mean the person taking them can relax on healthy habits simply because of the added reassurance of the meds.

Foods4BetterHealth.com, created by Doctors Health Press, is a food news and health web site that offers readers information about the latest food controversies, exclusive expert advice, and health tips to ward off illness, prevent disease, and live a long, healthy life. For more information, visit www.Foods4BetterHealth.com.

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Release ID: 43805

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Name: Adrian Newman
Email: Send Email
Organization: Doctors Health Press, Inc
Address: 60 State Street, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02109-1894
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