Statin Drugs Found to Accelerate Arterial Calcification

Statin Drugs Found to Accelerate Arterial Calcification
Clogged Artery with platelets and cholesterol plaque. (Ralwel/iStock)
Sayer Ji
4/29/2016
Updated:
4/29/2016

Newly published research reveals that more frequent statin drug use is associated with accelerated coronary artery and aortic artery calcification, both of which greatly contribute to cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.

Published Aug. 8th, 2012 in the journal Diabetes Care, researchers studied patients with type 2 diabetes and advanced atherosclerosis and found that coronary artery calcification “was significantly higher in more frequent statin users than in less frequent users.” 

Furthermore, in a subgroup of participants initially not receiving statins, “progression of both CAC [coronary artery calcification] and AAC [aortic artery calcification] was significantly increased in frequent statin users.”

(Ajale)
(Ajale)

What is perhaps most alarming about this new finding is that statin drugs have already been shown to significantly increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, prompting the FDA on Feb. 27th, 2011, to add “diabetes risk” to the warning label of all statin drugs marketed in this country. 

Now, with this latest discovery, it is safe to say, not only do statins likely induce type 2 diabetes in susceptible populations, but they also accelerate the cardiovascular complications associated with the disease -- a painfully ironic and highly concerning fact, considering that statins are supposed to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, not accelerate it.

If you know someone on a statin drug, especially someone who also has diabetes or is at risk of developing it, please distribute this information to them.

This article was originally published on GreenMedInfo.com. Join their free GreenMedInfo.com newsletter.

Sayer Ji is the author of the best-selling book, “Regenerate,” and is founder and director of GreenMedInfo.com, the world’s largest open-access natural health database. As a natural health rights advocate, Mr. Ji cofounded Stand For Health Freedom, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting basic human, constitutional, and parental rights, and recently launched Unite.live, a worldwide platform for conscious content creators.