Statins increase the risk of diabetes in kidney transplant patients

This study was published in Transplantation 2013 Nov 26

 

Study title and authors:

HMG CoA Reductase Inhibitor Treatment Induces Dysglycemia in Renal Allograft Recipients.

Choe EY, Wang HJ, Kwon O, Cho Y, Huh KH, Kim MS, Kim YS, Ahn CW, Cha BS, Lee HC, Kang ES.

Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24285338

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of statins on the development of dysglycemia in kidney transplant patients. (Dysglycemia is defined as diabetes and impaired fasting glucose). The study included 394 patients without previously known diabetes or impaired fasting glucose who had undertaken kidney transplantation. Patients were grouped into the two groups according if they used statins (245 statin users and 149 nonusers).

The study found:
(a) Statin users had a 208% increased risk of dysglycemia compared to non users.
(b) The time to development of dysglycemia after transplantation was shorter in the statin group (38.8 months) than in the control group (47.2 months).

Choe concluded: "Statin treatment is associated with an elevation in fasting plasma glucose and in the development of dysglycemia in renal allograft recipients (kidney transplant patients)".

High saturated fat diet reduces the prevalence of heart disease by 77%

This study was published in the Journal of the Indian Medical Association 1997 Mar;95(3):67-9, 83

 

Study title and authors:

Association of dietary ghee intake with coronary heart disease and risk factor prevalence in rural males.

Gupta R, Prakash H.

Department of Medicine, Monilek Hospital and Research Centre, Jawahar Nagar, Jaipur.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9212571

The aim of the study was to determine the association between intake of dietary fat, specifically Indian ghee, and prevalence of coronary heart disease. (Ghee is similar to butter, basically both are made from the fats of whole milk, both are usually 80% milk fat or greater in terms of their composition, and about two-thirds of that fat is saturated fat). The study included 1,982 men aged 20 years and more. The men were classified into two groups;
(i) Group one: Consumption of over 1 kg of ghee a month (high ghee consumption).
(ii) Group two: Consumption of less than 1 kg of ghee a month (low ghee consumption).

The study found:
(a) The high ghee group consumed significantly more saturated fat compared to the low ghee group.
(b) The high ghee group had a 77% reduced prevalence of heart disease compared to the low ghee group.

Long term statin use increases the risk of basal cell carcinoma by 30%

This study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 2009 Jul;61(1):66-72

Study title and authors:
Statin use and risk of basal cell carcinoma.

Asgari MM, Tang J, Epstein EH Jr, Chren MM, Warton EM, Quesenberry CP Jr, Go AS, Friedman GD.
Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612, USA. maryam.m.asgari@kp.org

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19464071

The objective of the study was to examine the association between statin use and basal cell carcinoma risk. (Basal cell carcinoma is known as non-melanoma skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancer refers to a group of cancers that slowly develop in the upper layers of the skin). The study included 12,123 patients, average age 64 years, who had been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. They were followed for an average of 4.25 years and 6,381 patients developed a subsequent basal cell carcinoma during follow-up.

The study found:
(a) Those that used statins had a 2% increased risk of subsequent basal cell carcinoma compared to those that did not use statins.
(b) Those that used statins for five years or more had a 30% increased risk of subsequent basal cell carcinoma compared to those that did not use statins.
(c) Those that used other cholesterol lowering drugs (such as gemfibrozil, niacin, cholestyramine, colestipol,  niacinamide and fenofibrate) had a 10% increased risk of subsequent basal cell carcinoma compared to nonusers.

The association between margarine and allergies in young adults

This study was published in the Annals of Epidemiology 2005 Mar;15(3):207-13

Study title and authors:
Margarine consumption, asthma, and allergy in young adults: results of the German National Health Survey 1998.

Bolte G, Winkler G, Hölscher B, Thefeld W, Weiland SK, Heinrich J.
Department of Epidemiology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany. gabrielbolte@lgl.bayern.de

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15723766

This study of 7,124 adults examined whether frequent intake of margarine or butter is associated with allergy prevalence in adults.

The study found in young adults aged 18 to 29:
(a) Those who had a frequent intake of margarine had a 133% increased risk of currently having asthma compared to those who had a frequent intake of butter.
(b) Those who had a frequent intake of margarine had a 15% increased risk of having hay fever compared to those who had a frequent intake of butter.
(c) Those who had a frequent intake of margarine had a 17% increased risk of having atopic dermatitis (a type of eczema) compared to those who had a frequent intake of butter.

Statins deplete levels of vitamin A, vitamin E and coenzyme Q10

This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association 2002 Feb 6;287

(5):598-605

 

Study title and authors:

Effects of diet and simvastatin on serum lipids, insulin, and antioxidants in hypercholesterolemic men: a randomized controlled trial.

Jula A, Marniemi J, Huupponen R, Virtanen A, Rastas M, Rönnemaa T.

Research and Development Centre of the Social Insurance Institution, Peltolantie 3, FIN-20720 Turku, Finland. antti.jula@kela.memonet.fi

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11829698

This study investigated the effects of statins on men with cholesterol levels of at least 232 mg/dL (6.0 mmol/L). The study included 120 men, aged 35 to 64 years, who were randomly allocated to a habitual diet, or dietary treatment group, and each of these groups was further randomised to receive simvastatin or placebo, each for 12 weeks.

The study found:
(a) The alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) levels of men taking simvastatin decreased by 16.2%.
(b) The beta-carotene (a precursor of vitamin A) levels of men taking simvastatin decreased by 19.5%.
(c) The ubiquinol-10 (ubiquinol-10 is the active form of coenzyme Q10) levels of men taking simvastatin decreased by 22%.
(d) The insulin levels of men taking simvastatin increased by 13.2%. (High insulin levels are associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, cancer and polycystic ovarian syndrome).

High saturated fat consumption associated with a 36% reduced risk of pancreatic cancer

This study was published in the Annals of Epidemiology 2013 Sep;23(9):571-5

 

Study title and authors:

Dietary fat intake and risk of pancreatic cancer in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

Arem H, Mayne ST, Sampson J, Risch H, Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ.

Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA. aremhe2@mail.nih.gov

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23890797

This study investigated the association of dietary fat and the risk of pancreatic cancer. The study included 111,416 participants, aged 55 to 74 years, who were followed for 8.4 years.

The study found:
(a) Those who consumed the most dietary fat had a 30% reduced risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those who consumed the least dietary fat.
(b) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 36% reduced risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat.