The elderly die earlier when taking statins

This post contains a summary of a study published in Age Ageing 2010 39 (6): 674-680 and a recipe for braised beef with madeira sauce.

Study title and authors:
Lipid-lowering treatment to the end? A review of observational studies and RCTs on cholesterol and mortality in 80+-year olds

Books:

Line Kirkeby Petersen1, Kaare Christensen1 and Jakob Kragstrup2

1Research Unit of Epidemiology, Danish Aging Research Center and
2Research Unit of General Practice, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

This paper can be accessed at: http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/content/39/6/674.abstract
 
The author reviewed a total of 12 studies regarding the relationship of cholesterol levels and all-cause mortality. This corresponded to 13,622 participants: 3,789 aged 80 and above in eight studies and 9,833 aged 71–103 (average age 78 years) in four studies.

The review found:
(a) Regarding all-cause mortality in the 80+-year olds, low cholesterol levels did not seem beneficial in any study and low cholesterol levels (less than 5.5 mmol/l or 212 mg/dL) is associated with increased mortality among 80+-year olds.
(b) There was no evidence that statins decrease all-cause mortality in elderly people without known vascular disease, on the contrary, it was even possible that statins increased all-cause mortality.

This finding of the review show that low cholesterol and possibly statin treatment increases the death rate in the elderly.

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Recipe of the day

Braised Beef with Madeira Sauce

Ingredients:

Food Mall: Beef Brisket

1.3kg/3lb brisket

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

75g/3oz bacon, roughly chopped or bacon lardons

6 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

45ml/3tbsp olive oil

1 small bunch fresh herbs

3 parsnips, peeled and chopped

4 celery sticks, chopped

450ml/¾pint good, hot beef stock

450ml/¾pint Madeira wine

Method:

1.Place the joint on a chopping board and season.

2.Heat a large non-stick frying pan and cook the bacon, shallots and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a large ovenproof casserole dish.

3.In the same frying pan heat the oil and brown the joint on all sides for 4-5 minutes and transfer to the dish.

4.Add the remaining ingredients, cover the dish with 2 sheets of greaseproof paper or foil and secure with a lid.

5.Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook on the hob for the calculated cooking time until the beef is tender.

6.Remove the joint from the pan, transfer to a warm plate, cover and rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile add olive oil to the sauce and stir gently.