The raison d'etre of this website is to provide you with hard scientific information which may help you make informed decisions in your quest for health (so far I have blogged concise summaries of over 1,500 scientific studies and have had three books published).
My research is mainly focused on the effects of cholesterol, saturated fat and statin drugs on health. If you know anyone who is worried about their cholesterol levels and heart disease, or has been told to take statin drugs you could send them a link to this website, and to my statin or cholesterol or heart disease books.
David Evans
Independent Health Researcher
Showing posts with label Statins and Cellular Damage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Statins and Cellular Damage. Show all posts
The aim of the study was to determine how statin drugs affect endothelial cell shape and F-actin cytoskeleton arrangement. (Endothelial cells are the thin layer of cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, and F-actin cytoskeleton is part of the cells scaffolding or skeleton). In the study, human endothelial cells were cultured in the laboratory and were then treated with statins.
The study found:
(a) After been treated with statins the endothelial cells became rounded, which is associated with unhealthy cells in arteries prone to developing a build up of plaque.
(b) After been treated with statins the F-actin cytoskeleton structure was disorganized and fragmented which can lead to cell death.
The significance of the results of the study is that endothelial cells and F-actin cytoskeleton arrangement are advesely impacted by statin treatment which may increase the risk of arterial plaque and cell death.
The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (high cholesterol) who did not exhibit any apparent side-effects during six months of treatment with statins drugs did in fact exhibit oxidation injury (cellular and tissue damage) as measured by isoprostane levels. (Elevated isoprostane levels are a marker for oxidation injury). The study included 111 patients (63 males, 48 females; aged 19 to 58 years) who did not experience any adverse effects during statin treatment.
The study found that out of the 111 treated patients (who did not experience any apparent adverse effects during statin treatment) 11 showed a pronounced increase in isoprostane levels.
The lead investigator of the study, Dr Helmut Sinzinger from the Wilhelm Auerswald Atherosclerosis Research Group Vienna, concluded: "These findings indicate that in the absence of other clinically observable adverse effects, in some of the patients, for an as yet unknown reason, statin therapy may be associated with increased oxidation injury. These data add a further piece of evidence that mild adverse effects of statins that are difficult to assess might be much more prevalent than widely considered".
Concurrent to reducing cholesterol levels stain drugs also reduce the biosynthesis of the important nutrient ubiquinone (Coenzme Q10). This study investigated the effects of statins on Coenzme Q10 levels. Firstly, two groups of five healthy volunteers treated with 20 mg per day of pravastatin or simvastatin for a month. Then in a double-blind controlled study 30 patients with "high" cholesterol were given either pravastatin, simvastatin (20 mg per day), or placebo for three months.
The study found:
(a) In the healthy volunteer group cholesterol levels and Coenzme Q10 levels underwent about a 40% reduction after the statin treatment.
(b) The same extent of reduction, compared with placebo was measured in the "high" cholesterol patients treated with pravastatin or simvastatin.
The data show that the treatment with statins lowers both cholesterol and Coenzme Q10 levels in normal volunteers and in patients with "high" cholesterol.
The authors of the study, based at the Catholic University Medical School in Rome, concluded: "Coenzme Q10 is essential for the production of energy and also has antioxidative properties. A diminution of Coenzme Q10 availability may be the cause of membrane alteration with consequent cellular damage".
◦5-7 oz. (about 20-30 pieces) large, preservative-free pepperoni
Food Mall: Nitrate Free Pepperoni
◦pizza sauce
◦grated cheese, optional
For Supreme
◦black olives
◦bell peppers
◦mushrooms
◦green onions
For Hawaiian
◦deli ham
◦fresh pineapple
Method:
Get your oven to 400ºF. Lay the slices of pepperoni on a baking sheet and put them in the oven, on the middle rack, to get them crispy–about 8 minutes, flipping them over once. Start prepping your toppings while the peps are in the oven.
The pre-bake step of the pepperoni is super important if you want a crispy pepperoni “crust”. Once you top the pepperonis they just don’t crisp up much…
Once they come out of the oven, place a spoonful of pizza sauce on each pepperoni slice and top with your ingredients.
Place the baking sheet back in the oven and let the toppings get warm and melty, anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
NOTE: All the toppings should be sliced, chopped, and/or diced super, super small/thin. Since you’re making little petite pizzas and they’re only getting a few minutes of oven time, you want make sure they get enough heat to get them cooked through.
without enzyme elevation or myopathy.
: 
