New Report Shows Statins Linked To Obesity In Older Women

It is not uncommon to hear of statins being prescribed to older women who are diagnosed with high cholesterol. The problem is, the side effects of these popular drugs simply haven’t been determined. And a new study based out of Australia is showing that statins are potentially imposing more and more risks.

A research team out of the University of Queensland published the new study in the journal of Drugs and Aging.

The study found that women who were age 75 and older had a 33% higher chance of being obese. I doubt I need to clarify how absurdly scary that number is.

The lead author on the study, Dr. Mark Jones, says that there is just too little information on the effects these medications have on women.

“The vast majority of research is on 40- to 70-year-old men,” he says.

Cholesterol is made in the liver and statins are supposed to lower the cholesterol levels in the blood by producing how much cholesterol the liver produces. Too much cholesterol in the blood is said to lead to plaque in the arteries. This is a potential hazardous situation which could lead to heart attack or stroke. Statins are the most popular method at dealing with high cholesterol.

Healthy cholesterol is typically 200 mg/dl or below. The ratio of LDL to HDL should be 2:1. The fact is, statins often seem to be prescribed over changes in diet to effectively lower cholesterol and this is simply irresponsible. A diet high in sugary foods, alcohol, caffeine and hydronated oils can most certainly contribute to high cholesterol.

At the same time, lots of foods can help lower it naturally. Here’s a list:

Omega 3 fats: You can eat fish for this. EPA and DHA (omega-3 fats) found in fish helps lower cholesterol. You can also simply take some every day. Here’s Dr. Tobias version on Amazon and it is well-reviewed and good.

High soluble fiber foods: Legumes, fruits, vegetables and flax seeds are great for this. It isn’t difficult to eat some each day. Optifiber is pretty good if you just want to buy it and simplify your life. Optifiber is available on Amazon but I also think you can get it at Costco.

Olive oil: Make sure you Olive Oil isn’t from Italy. Otherwise, if you can find local producers, it is best.

Garlic, onion, herbs: Hit up a local farmer’s market.

Niacin (1,500 mg daily): Supplementing with Niacin has been said to lower cholesterol. Read the reviews on this Niacin version found on Amazon. Niacin is vitamin B3. It will reportedly lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.

Essential Oils: Lavender oils are linked to lowering emotional stress. The less stressed you are, the better. You can grab some affordable, organic lavender oil here. I know Whole Foods has them as well.

The point is, pharmaceutical companies have an agenda. They put their revenue first. Diet is key for so many of our health ailments, however, it is often glossed over so that medications can be pushed.

Another point is that we need cholesterol.

We don’t yet know the full effects of messing with our cholesterol in such a chemical manner. If people could just understand how to eat properly, so much of this situation would be a non-issue.