Statins Slow Your Brain Down
Easy Health Options Staff | Feb 17, 2012 | Comments 8
While many Americans take statin drugs to reduce their cholesterol in order to protect their heart, that reduction in cholesterol may be hurting their brains.
“If you (take) cholesterol from the brain, then you directly affect the machinery that triggers the release of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters affect the data-processing and memory functions. In other words — how smart you are and how well you remember things,” says Yeon-Kyun Shin, a researcher at Iowa State University. Shin warns that drugs that inhibit the liver from making cholesterol may also keep the brain from making cholesterol, which is vital to efficient brain function.
In his experiments, Shin tested the activity of the neurotransmitter-release machinery from brain cells without cholesterol present and measured how well the machinery functioned. He then included cholesterol in the system and again measured the protein function. Cholesterol increased protein function by five times.
“Our study shows there is a direct link between cholesterol and the neurotransmitter release,” says Shin. “And we know exactly the molecular mechanics of what happens in the cells. Cholesterol changes the shape of the protein to stimulate thinking and memory.
“If you try to lower the cholesterol by taking medicine that is attacking the machinery of cholesterol synthesis in the liver, that medicine goes to the brain too. And then it reduces the synthesis of cholesterol which is necessary in the brain,” says Shin.
Shin’s findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Filed Under: Alternative Medicine • Brain Health • Easy Health Options News • Memory and Brain Health
So tell us what are we supposed to do? Is there something we can take to prevent this from happening while taking Lipitor?
Simple answer – stop worrying about your cholesterol and stop taking Lipitor. There is no evidence that lowering your cholesterol will improve your life expectancy: on the contrary, a study of seniors published in the British Medical Journal showed that those with the highest cholesterol lived the longest. Every cell in your body can produce cholesterol if necessary – it’s that important. Your body produces the cholesterol it needs to – it isn’t inherently suicidal, so don’t mess with it. The magic figure of 200 is totally arbitrary.
” The fact is that one person can have a low cholesterol number and be at grave risk for a heart attack, while someone else with a higher figure will be fine.”
- Arthur Agatston (leading preventive cardiologist)
Will CoQ10 counter act the slowing of the brain?
If your brain gets too slow, you could always run for public office.
Bravo! Phil. Maybe if we say it often enough …
Reading this just as my company added a ground-breaking ingredient called “LunaRich” into our nutritional formula. It’s a healthy way to lower cholesterol, and will probably be a huge ‘rival’ to Lipitor. SO excited that there are healthy alternatives to statins, and to be a part of helping people to learn about them!
Thanks Mr. Shin for bringing this research to the surface, I would love to show you what we have, as we may be able to help many more people keep away from slowing their brains down! Learn more at my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/reneevidor
Drinking 30ml virgin coconut oil (Fijian) every day has lowered my cholesterol to normal level of 4.1
To test my theory of this oil being responsible, my doctor suggested I stop taking the oil for 3 months and continue to take the Crestor, then do the blood test again……… so I suggested I should stop taking the Crestor and keep drinking the oil!!!!
She said, “You know natural medicine can be harmful” ………….
I’m still laughing.
I’ve read that Policosanol, used around the world is good for lowering cholesterol. What is your opinion? What are the other harmful effects of asprin besides stomach and thining of blood? Is there anything else natural to use besides asprin to use?
Right now it’s 2 baby asprin a day. Thank you