Dr. James Stein, MD from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison, praised the JUPITER study for exposing the fact that current therapeutic LDL-cholesterol levels are not only arbitrary, but are in fact a poor indicator of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. ?Most patients with heart attacks have normal cholesterol values,? he stated. With the cholesterol theory crumbling the industry is under intense pressure to come up with a new risk factor, and one that can be treated with the same statin drugs they have invested so much money in. Enter Dr. Ridker and C-reactive protein (CRP). Ridker has been pushing treating CRP with statins for years. But is CRP a risk factor? A National Panel on CRP found no evidence treating CRP levels will improve survival rates (www.urmc.rochester.edu/pr/News/story.cfm?id=182). Elevated CRP levels are associated with many things including; anger, stress, arthritis, cancer, lupus, pneumonia, TB, oral contraceptive use, pregnancy, heart attacks, surgery, trauma, intense exercise, etc. It?s a marker for disease, not the cause. But since statins lower CRP levels slightly, you can count on CRP becoming the new cholesterol. The public will be made to fear CRP, be tested for it, and be put on dangerous statins to lower it. What a racket.

A review of the literature by the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, cites nearly 900 studies which show adverse effect of statins, which are widely used in treating high cholesterol. Researchers report that muscle adverse effects are the most commonly reported problem in the literature and by patients. Adverse effects are dose dependent, and risks are amplified by drug interactions, thyroid disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and genetics.

The risk of adverse side effects goes up as age goes up, and this helps to explain why statins benefits have not been found to exceed their risks. Unfortunately, researchers report the physician awareness of statin side effects is low.

Statin side effects may include:
Increased cancer risk
Sexual dysfunction
Immune system suppresion
Cognitive loss
Neuropathy (numbness, tingling in extremities)
Anemia
Cataracts
Hepatic dysfunction.
Pancreatic dysfunction

American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs

Coq10 is found in most body tissues, with the highest amounts being in the heart. This makes sense considering the heart is the most energetic part of our bodies beating beating 115,000 times per day. The amount of Coq10 found in body tissues reduces after the age of twenty. Our ability to synthesize Coq10 falls strikingly after age fifty. This is a problem considering Coq10 is helpful in reducing inflammation and has been successfully used in the treatment of heart disease. 9, 10, 11

Some of the most common drugs used to treat heart disease are statins. Drugs like Lipitor, Zocor, and Crestor are used to treat people with supposed high levels of cholesterol which has been hypothesized (Lipid Hypothesis) to cause heart disease. Formally referred to as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, these drugs (Statins) work by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. Inhibiting this enzyme does reduce cholesterol levels but also reduces the production of CoQ10 (Co-enzyme Q 10). CoQ10 is a vital component to all cells in our body and is a very powerful antioxidant (50 times stronger than vitamin E).

A decreased ability to synthesize Coq10 with age compounded with a decreased ability to synthesize CoQ10 with statins is a recipe for disaster. Depletion of this essential enzyme can lead to fatigue, muscle soreness, muscle weakness and heart failure, which happens to be the most common complaints of statin users.

Daily Consumption for Optimum Health

Results of the JUPITER study seemed to show that the statin drug Crestor lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes in those with high levels of inflammation. Some believe this will lead to even more people being put on statin drugs.

In reality the benefits are actually insignificant. Aproximately 0.72 percent of the statin takers in the trial had a heart attack or stroke, compared with 1.5 percent of those taking placebos.

Instead of taking statin drugs that come with dangerous side effects, there are things you can do to reduce inflammation naturally.

Stop smoking. Smoking increases inflammation and your risk of cardiovascular disease. But research shows you can reverse all the damaging effects to your arteries within 10 years of quitting.

Olive oil and fish. Consuming olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids fight inflammation.

Get of the couch. Exercise a great way to lower stress and inflammation without any of the side effects associated with medications.

Get your sleep. Some research shows that both too little and too much sleep increases inflammation. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says most adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night.

Reduce stress. High levels of stress hormones can lead to the release of excess inflammatory chemicals.