My colleague, Pat Skerrett, editor of the Harvard Heart Letter , has written a great piece about the 11 foods that lower your cholesterol. And I wrote an article for the Health Letter a few years ago about ways to manage common problems, such as cholesterol, without taking medication. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.
Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Today, we faced with this problem of our children due to inactive life and fast food, I think we have to control this first to prevent LDL and further health risks. A good diet can benefit many health issues. I find having Celiacs disease and being on a gluten free diet also help to keep my cholesterol well within the normal range.
The statistics do show the decline in death rates for heart related disease. Whether or not there is a correlation between the decreased rate and statin use cannot be directly confirmed because of the many variables in lifestyle and diet that cannot be controlled. Please post your list of healthy foods which can lower cholesteral.
The most notable side effect for statin type therapy is that it interferes with CoQ This is an enzyme in the biochemical pathway for energy production in the cell, every cell in your body.
That means every cell in your body will begin to have difficulty in energy production on a cellular level. Look up rhabdomyolysis.
The following comment is based on hindsight: After I was put on Lipitor, I began to experience short term memory problems. I cannot tell you how many pots I burned on the stove because I forgot I was cooking something on the stove. Then one day while I was driving on a rural road in Michigan I had a frightening experience which I now identify as a bout of global amnesia.
No evidence of a stroke. I have stopped taking my statim to the great alarm of my cardiologist I understand that when Lipitor was trial tested some subjects exerienced memory problems and a few had a bout of global amnesia. Extrapolate to the millions who are now taking Lipitor.
The reasoning in this article is sound, and it is presented in a way that acknowledges the difficulty of pinpointing causes and effects in relation to diseases for which multiple and sometimes overlapping risk factors influence both onset and treatment outcomes. Much appreciated amidst the considerable alarmism and conspiracy theory regarding the use of statin drugs.
Researchers found that statins activate a gene signal in muscles called Atrogin When this gene activates, it targets key muscle proteins for destruction. The activation of this gene drives the process of muscle wasting. It is induced in cardiac muscle in failing hearts. Since this initial discovery, Atrogin-1 has been found in every existing model of muscle wasting.
If you have questions about the statin that is right for you, talk with your doctor. Zocor is available as a generic drug called simvastatin. Other drugs are available that can treat high cholesterol. Some may be a better fit for you than others. They can tell you about other medications that may work well for you. Examples of other drugs that may be used to treat high cholesterol include:. For more information on your treatment options, talk with your doctor.
Examples of other drugs that may be used to lower the risk for cardiovascular disease and related death in adults include:. Lipitor is FDA-approved for preventing cardiovascular disease in people considered high-risk for developing this condition. Examples of cardiovascular disease include stroke and heart attack.
Certain risk factors can increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease. These risk factors include:. Lipitor is also approved to reduce the risk for cardiovascular problems in people with heart disease. This includes people who have:.
Having high cholesterol levels in your blood raises your risk for cardiovascular disease. By lowering your cholesterol levels, Lipitor helps lower your risk for developing heart problems. Lipitor belongs to a class of drugs called statins. A medication class is a group of drugs that work in a similar way. Like other statins , Lipitor has been shown to help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and related death. Researchers in one study looked at over 10, people with high blood pressure but no history of heart attack.
To be in the study, people had to have at least three risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. People in the study took either Lipitor 10 milligrams mg or a placebo a pill with no active drug. Half the people in this study were followed for slightly more than 3 years. At the end of the study, the researchers compared the people who took the placebo with those who took Lipitor. A similar study included nearly 3, people with type 2 diabetes but without heart disease.
To be in the study, people had to have at least one other risk factor for cardiovascular problems. The researchers randomly chose people in the study to take either Lipitor 10 mg or a placebo once daily. Half the people in this study were followed for almost 4 years.
At the end of the study, the researchers found that, compared with people who took the placebo, those who took Lipitor:. For this use, Lipitor should be combined with a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance. Your body makes enough cholesterol on its own to meet your needs.
Cholesterol becomes an issue only if the amount present in your blood becomes too high. This is the total amount of cholesterol found in your blood. Total cholesterol consists of:. But, in addition to lowering LDL levels, Lipitor has also been shown to:. Hyperlipidemia can usually be classified into five categories based on certain patterns of lipoprotein levels. These categories are called types of Frederickson hyperlipidemia. People with Fredrickson types 1 and 5 hyperlipidemia have higher than normal amounts of chylomicrons.
These are a type of protein that transports cholesterol. Clinical studies have shown that Lipitor is helpful in treating high cholesterol. One study compared adults who took Lipitor with those who took a placebo for hyperlipidemia high blood lipid levels. A placebo is a pill with no active drug.
Researchers in the study observed the people for 6 weeks. They compared their cholesterol levels before and after the study.
Lipitor is approved for treating high cholesterol in children ages 10 to 17 years who have a condition known as heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia HeFH.
Researchers studied children between the ages of 10 and 17 years who had HeFH. The children were randomly given either Lipitor or a placebo a pill with no active drug for 26 weeks. The purpose of the study was to see if Lipitor was better at lowering cholesterol levels in children with HeFH. Lipitor is approved for treating high cholesterol in children ages 10 to 17 years who have a condition known as heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia see above.
However, heavy alcohol use can damage your liver. And liver damage is a potential side effect of Lipitor. Combining the two could put you at greater risk for side effects that involve your liver.
Before you start taking Lipitor, be sure to tell your doctor if you drink alcohol, especially in large amounts. And be sure to ask your doctor if you have any other questions about using alcohol while taking Lipitor. Lipitor can interact with several other medications. It can also interact with certain foods. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works. Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe.
Below are some of the medications that can interact with Lipitor. Before taking Lipitor, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. CYP3A4 is an enzyme that helps your body break down drugs. This increases your risk for side effects from Lipitor.
They may lower your dose of Lipitor. Or they may prescribe you a different medication instead of a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor. Doing so can increase your risk of myopathy muscle pain or weakness. These drugs can affect how your body handles and breaks down Lipitor by slowing down the protein that helps transport drugs in your body. Gemfibrozil is a fibrate, a type of drug that helps lower levels of triglycerides a type of fat found in your blood.
Like cyclosporine and letermovir see above , gemfibrozil slows down the protein that helps transport drugs like Lipitor in your body. So combining gemfibrozil and Lipitor greatly increases your risk of having myopathy muscle pain or weakness. Lipitor can still interact with these medications, although not as severely as with gemfibrozil.
This is because fibrate drugs can also cause myopathy as a side effect. Taking these types of drugs in combination with Lipitor can increase your risk for having muscle pain. If your doctor thinks you should take Lipitor with a fibrate, they may decide to lower your dosage of Lipitor or the fibrate. Or they may decide to replace one drug or the other with a different medication.
In addition to the drugs described above, other medications may increase your risk of myopathy muscle pain or weakness if taken with Lipitor. Your doctor may decide to prescribe a lower dosage of Lipitor or your other medication. Or they may prescribe you a different medication rather than Lipitor or the drugs listed above. No herbs or supplements have been reported to interact with Lipitor.
However, you should still check with your doctor or pharmacist before using any of these products while taking Lipitor. You should avoid drinking excessive amounts of grapefruit juice while taking Lipitor. For more information on how grapefruit juice can interact with medications, explore this guide. Lipitor belongs to a class of medications known as statins. A medication class is a group of medications that work together in a similar manner.
Statins are used to lower cholesterol levels. People with high cholesterol, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease may need to take these other types of medications as well. For instance, they may need an ACE inhibitor or beta-blocker to manage high blood pressure. Or they made need a blood thinner to help prevent blood clots which could lead to heart attack or stroke. However, studies have shown that when used with a healthy diet, Lipitor can lower the amount of cholesterol in your blood.
This can reduce your risk of having heart disease and other problems, such as stroke. You should avoid eating large amounts of grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while taking Lipitor. Certain substances found in grapefruit can slow down the activity of an enzyme in your body called CYP3A4. CYP3A4 helps your body break down drugs, including Lipitor. This can increase your risk for side effects from the drug.
Drinking more than 1. If you have any questions about eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while taking Lipitor, talk to your doctor. The medication may not work as well otherwise. The American Heart Association offers dietary recommendations for managing cholesterol and lowering your risk of heart disease, including:.
Although not common, Lipitor can cause myopathy muscle pain or weakness and muscle damage. Lipitor belongs to a class of medications called statins. Some people think statin drugs, such as Lipitor, have too many risks.
This may be because, in a small number of studies , taking statins was linked to an increased risk for certain side effects. So we now think of statins as risk-reducing drugs. This dramatic change in thinking means that people who once were not candidates for statins are now prescribed them to lower their risk of heart attack and stroke. They draw cholesterol out of plaque and stabilize plaque, Blaha says. Plaque is a waxy substance consisting mainly of cholesterol deposits that can build up within the walls of the arteries, interfering with blood flow to and from the heart and leading to heart attack and stroke.
Early on, plaque build-up can be controlled by healthy lifestyle choices, such as switching to a heart-healthy diet, exercising and not smoking. If those efforts are unsuccessful over time, doctors will introduce treatment with statins to benefit the arteries and prevent further damage. Being prescribed statins is no longer simply a result of having poor cholesterol numbers. Instead, doctors use a variety of ways to identify high-risk patients. These include examining all of your heart-health measures including blood pressure, blood glucose and body-mass index as well as the results of tests that assess plaque build-up, such as a coronary calcium scan.
0コメント