NBC reports that Americans are overusing cholesterol drugs to the extent that they are causing other health problems. “More than 20 million Americans take statins. That would equate to 100,000 new statin-induced diabetics,” according to Americans ‘Overdosing’ on Cholesterol Drugs: Researcher | NBC San Diego
Okay, so let’s break those staggering facts down:
First, 20 million Americans take statins (which are drugs to lower their cholesterol such as Lipitor, Crestor, and Zocor)! To compare this number, that’s the population of San Francisco, L.A., and San Diego combined!
Second, that’s 100,000 new cholesterol drug-causing cases of diabetes!
You can read more on this topic in a New York Times Opinion Page addressing the risk of these cholesterol-reducing drugs.
Notes from Dr. C: Most people can lower cholesterol with diet and exercise. For those who aren’t getting their cholesterol down as quickly as they’d like with these conservative, safe methods, there is scientific evidence that red rice yeast extract helps. There are cases where high cholesterol needs to be managed by medication but that should be after all conservative methods have been exhausted.
I like the natural supplement Cholestar by Apex Energetics which my patients’ lab tests consistently show naturally lowers cholesterol. Schedule a functional nutrition appointment at ProActive Chiropractic to explore other natural ways to improve your health.
