High saturated fat and cholesterol consumption associated with a slight decreased risk of Parkinsons

This study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology 2003 Jun 1;157(11):1007-14

 

Study title and authors:

Dietary intakes of fat and risk of Parkinson's disease.

Chen H, Zhang SM, Hernán MA, Willett WC, Ascherio A.

Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA. hchen@hsph.harvard.edu

 

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12777364

This study investigated the associations between fat intakes and risk of Parkinson's disease. The study included 135,894 subjects who were followed for up to 18 years.

The data from the study found:
(a) Those that consumed the most animal fat had a 2% decreased risk of Parkinson's compared to those who consumed the least animal fat.
(b) Those that consumed the most saturated fat had a 1% decreased risk of Parkinson's compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat.
(c) Those that consumed the most cholesterol had a 5% decreased risk of Parkinson's compared to those who consumed the least cholesterol.

High saturated fat and cholesterol consumption associated with a slight decreased risk of Parkinsons.

Muscle disease is a dangerous side-effect of statin drugs

This paper was published in Ugeskrift for Laeger 2010 Feb 15;172(7):544-5

 

Study title and author:

Statin-induced dysphagia

Edholm B.

Øre-naese-halskirurgisk Afdeling, Slagelse Sygehus, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark. bjarkeedholm@hotmail.com

 

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20156405

Dysphagia is the medical term for swallowing difficulties.

The paper reports on a man who developed dysphagia and muscle fatigue after statin therapy.

(i) A 68-year-old man was referred to hospital with progressive dysphagia.
(ii) The patient further developed muscle fatigue (it was difficult for him to lift his arms above his head) and additional signs of myopathy (muscle disease) such as high levels of creatine kinase.
(iii) The dysphagia was diagnosed as a late-onset side-effect of statin therapy.
(iv) He stopped taking statins and 14 days later the power to his arms returned, his swallowing function was significantly better and his creatine kinase levels normalised.

The author of the paper, Bjarke Edholm from the Slagelse Hospital in Denmark, concluded: "As an increasing number of patients are being treated with lipid-lowering drugs (statins), it is important to recall that myopathy is a dangerous side-effect which may have either quick or delayed onset, and that dysphagia can be the initial symptom".

Statins related to memory dysfunction

This paper was published in Current Drug Safety 2012 Feb;7(1):33-4

Study title and authors:
Statin related memory dysfunction in a Nigerian woman: a case report.

Okeahialam BN, Isiguzoro I.
Department of Medicine, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. basokeam@yahoo.com

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22663955

This paper describes the case of a woman who with Simvastatin developed memory deficits which adversely affected activities of her daily living.

(i) The woman was first observed in 2005 at 41 years of age for sensation of weight in the chest.
(ii) She was put on atorvastatin (Lipitor) 10 mg daily.
(iii) Levels of her high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol fell and since low HDL cholesterol increases heart disease risk, the drug was withheld.
(iv) In 2008 she restarted statin treatment, this time she took Simvastatin (Simvor) 10 mg daily.
(v) While on this, she complained of feeling ill and cramped up each morning.
(vi) She stopped taking Simvastatin.
(vii) In time Simvastatin was re-introduced at 20mg daily.
(viii) She started to experience muscle cramps, incoherence in thought and speech as well as memory impairment.
(ix) She reduced the dose to 10 mg daily with some respite in the short term.
(x) With time and still on 10mg nocte of simvastatin she once again started to have rising muscle pains. Lapses in memory were also observed. She was not remembering things and to her embarrassment, kept repeating instructions which she had earlier given. The urge to read vanished and if she forced herself to read, she could not absorb.
(xi) She totally discontinued Simvastatin which led to recovery.

Okeahialam also notes that low levels of cholesterol and low levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol may be associated with cognitive dysfunction and concludes: "It is suggested that patients on statins be monitored for side effects especially memory deficits which can adversely effect quality of life... It may also be unwise to reduce the lipid (cholesterol) sub fractions to very low levels".

High consumption of cholesterol and saturated fat is associated with a decreased risk of Parkinson's Disease

This study was published in Parkinsonism and Related Disorders 2009 Jan;15(1):47-52

Study title and authors:
Dietary fats, cholesterol and iron as risk factors for Parkinson's disease.

Powers KM, Smith-Weller T, Franklin GM, Longstreth WT Jr, Swanson PD, Checkoway H.
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7234, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18424169

This study evaluated the risk between diet and Parkinson's Disease. The dietary habits of 420 patients with Parkinson's were compared with 560 control subjects.

The study found:
(a) Those who consumed the most cholesterol (more than 312 mg per day per 2000 calories) had a 25% reduced risk of Parkinson's compared to those who consumed the least cholesterol (less than 192 mg per day per 2000 calories).
(b)  Those who consumed the most saturated fat (more than 27.5 g per day per 2000 calories) had a 19% reduced risk of Parkinson's compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat (less than 19.9 g per day per 2000 calories).
(c) Those who consumed the most total fat (more than 77.9 g per day per 2000 calories) had an 11% reduced risk of Parkinson's compared to those who consumed the least total fat (less than 60.8 g per day per 2000 calories).
(d) Those who consumed the most polyunsaturated fat (more than 15.1 g per day per 2000 calories) had a 28% INCREASED risk of Parkinson's compared to those who consumed the least polyunsaturated fat (less than 9.8 g per day per 2000 calories).

A high consumption of cholesterol and saturated fat is associated with a decreased risk of Parkinson's Disease.

Statins block the ability of exercise to improve fitness levels

This study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2013 Apr 10. pii: S0735-1097(13)01403-4

 

Study title and authors:

Simvastatin impairs exercise training adaptations.

Mikus CR, Boyle LJ, Borengasser SJ, Oberlin DJ, Naples SP, Fletcher J, Meers GM, Ruebel M, Laughlin MH, Dellsperger KC, Fadel PJ, Thyfault JP.

 

Division of Cardiology at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23583255

This study sought to determine if simvastatin hindered the positive effects of exercise for obese and overweight adults. The study, which lasted for 12 weeks, included 37 sedentary overweight or obese adults (aged 25-59) with at least two metabolic syndrome risk factors, who completed either:
(i) 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training.
(ii) 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training in combination with simvastatin (40 mg per day).

The study found:
(a) Cardiorespiratory fitness increased by 10% in response to exercise training alone, but was blunted by the addition of simvastatin resulting in only a 1.5% increase.
(b) Skeletal muscle mitochondrial content (the cells' energy production sites) increased by 13% in the exercise only group (a normal response following exercise training) but decreased by 4.5% in the simvastatin plus exercise group.

One of the study authors, John Thyfault, an associate professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, concluded: “Daily physical activity is needed to maintain or improve fitness, and thus improve health outcomes. However, if patients start exercising and taking statins at the same time, it seems that statins block the ability of exercise to improve their fitness levels.”

Regular aspirin use is associated with an increased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration

This study was published in the JAMA Internal Medicine 2013 Feb 25;173(4):258-64

Study title and authors:
The association of aspirin use with age-related macular degeneration.

Liew G, Mitchell P, Wong TY, Rochtchina E, Wang JJ.
Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23337937

Macular degeneration is diagnosed as either dry (non-neovascular) or wet (neovascular). Neovascular refers to growth of new blood vessels in an area, such as the macula, where they are not supposed to be. Dry age-related macular degeneration is an early stage of the disease and may result from the aging and thinning of macular tissues, depositing of pigment in the macula or a combination of the two processes.The wet form of the disease usually leads to more serious vision loss.

The objective of the study was to determine whether regular aspirin use is associated with a higher risk for developing age-related macular degeneration. The study included 2,389 participants who were followed for 15 years.

The study found:
(a) Aspirin use was not associated with the incidence of dry age-related macular degeneration.
(b) Regular aspirin users had a 146% higher risk of developing wet age-related macular degeneration.
(c) The higher the aspirin dose, the higher the risk of developing the disease.

Regular aspirin use is associated with an increased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Statin therapy causes memory complaints and mood changes

This paper was published in Pharmacotherapy 2010;30(6):236e–240e

Study title and authors:

Changes in Memory Function and Neuronal Activation Associated with Atorvastatin Therapy
Beth A. Parker, Ph.D., Donna M. Polk, M.D., Vimal Rabdiya, M.D., Shashwath A. Meda, M.S., Karen Anderson, R.N., Keith A. Hawkins, Psy.D., Godfrey D. Pearlson, M.D., and Paul D. Thompson, M.D.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.pharmacotherapy.org/Case_Reports/Pharm3006e_Parker-CR.pdf

This paper, headed by Dr Beth Parker from the Hartford Hospital, describes a 65-year-old man who reported cognitive complaints (memory complaints and mood changes) after taking atorvastatin 10 mg/day for one year. He had no history of alcohol consumption, major head trauma, psychiatric problems, or memory impairment.

(i) After one year of taking the statin the patient described his complaints as “fuzzy thinking” and “brain fog.” His wife also noted that the patient demonstrated a progressive decline in cognitive function and memory accompanied by increasing mood changes.

(ii) Cognitive testing and assessment of neuronal activation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (procedure that measures brain activity) were performed during a working memory task while he was receiving atorvastatin therapy.
(iii) The patient demonstrated altered neuronal activation and reduced performance on the cognitive tests, which was consistent with his cognitive symptoms.
(iv) He stopped taking atorvastatin. The cognitive tests were repeated two months after discontinuation of the drug and the patient exhibited improved cognitive test performance and fMRI patterns similar to those expected in a healthy individual.
(v) The patient also reported subjective improvement of his cognitive complaints within days of cessation of atorvastatin.

Dr Parker concludes that a: "growing number of reports suggest that statins evoke adverse cognitive effects".

High saturated fat consumption and high cholesterol levels are associated with a reduced risk of osteoporotic fractures

This study was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007 Sep;61(9):1114-20

Study title and authors:
Dietary fat intake and the risk of osteoporotic fractures in the elderly.

Martínez-Ramírez MJ, Palma S, Martínez-González MA, Delgado-Martínez AD, de la Fuente C, Delgado-Rodríguez M.
Service of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital of Jaén & Division of Medicine, University of Jaén, Navarra, Spain. mamartinez@unav.es

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17299494

The aim of this study was to explore the association between fat intake, cholesterol levels and the risk of osteoporotic fractures in the elderly. (Osteoporotic fractures are defined as fractures associated with low bone mineral density and include clinical spine, forearm, hip and shoulder fractures). The study was a hospital-based case-control study and included 167 patients (aged 65 years or more) with a low-energy fracture and 167 patients without fractures.

The study found:
(a) Those who consumed the most saturated fat (more than 34 grams per day) had a 20% reduced risk of osteoporotic fractures compared with those who consumed the least saturated fat (less than 23 grams per day).
(b) Those who consumed the most polysaturated fat (more than 18 grams per day) had a 488% increased risk of osteoporotic fractures compared with those who consumed the least polysaturated fat (less than 11 grams per day).
(c) Those with the highest cholesterol levels (more than 241 mg/dL or 6.2 mmol/L) had a 6% reduced risk of osteoporotic fractures compared with those with the lowest cholesterol levels (less than 191 mg/dL or 4.9 mmol/L).
(d) Those with the highest levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (more than 62 mg/dL or 1.6 mmol/L) had a 71% reduced risk of osteoporotic fractures compared with those with the lowest levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (less than 45 mg/dL or 1.1 mmol/L).

High saturated fat consumption and high cholesterol levels are associated with a reduced risk of osteoporotic fractures, whereas a high consumption of polysaturated fat was associated with an increased risk of osteoporotic fractures.

Low cholesterol levels associated with an earlier death in the elderly

This study was published in the International Journal of Cardiology 2013 Apr 8

Study title and authors:
Prognosis in the hospitalized very elderly: The PROTEGER study.

Zhang Y, Protogerou AD, Iaria P, Safar ME, Xu Y, Blacher J.
Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23578896

The study investigated the association of various cardiac related factors with death rates in the elderly. The study included 331 hospitalised elderly patients, (average age 87years) who were followed for 378 days.

Regarding cholesterol levels, the study found:
(a) Patients who died had 12% lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol than patients who survived.
(b) Patients who died had 7% lower levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol than patients who survived.

In this study, elderly patients who died had lower cholesterol levels than patients who survived.