Newly published research reveals that more frequent statin drug use is associated with accelerated coronary artery and aortic artery calcification, both of which greatly contribute to cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.

Published Aug. 8th, 2012 in the journal Diabetes Care, researchers studied patients with type 2 diabetes and advanced atherosclerosis and found that coronary artery calcification "was significantly higher in more frequent statin users than in less frequent users." [i]

Furthermore, in a subgroup of participants initially not receiving statins, "progression of both CAC [coronary artery calcification] and AAC [aortic artery calcification] was significantly increased in frequent statin users."

What is perhaps most alarming about this new finding is that statin drugs have already been shown to significantly increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, prompting the FDA on Feb. 27th, 2011, to add "diabetes risk" to the warning label of all statin drugs marketed in this country. 

Now, with this latest discovery, it is safe to say, not only do statins likely induce type 2 diabetes in susceptible populations, but they also accelerate the cardiovascular complications associated with the disease -- a painfully ironic and highly concerning fact, considering that statins are supposed to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, not accelerate it.

As we have explored in previous articles, this is probably only the tip of a massive iceberg of statin-associated adverse effects. Our ongoing database project has linked statin drugs to over 300 documented adverse health effects, not the least of which is the ability to weaken the heart muscle, or to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by 48% in postmenopausal women.

If you know someone on a statin drug, especially someone who also has diabetes or is at risk of developing it, please distribute this information to them, and expose them to the peer-reviewed and published research that already exists on potential naturals alternatives: Health Guide: Statin Drugs.

[i] Aramesh Saremi, Gideon Bahn, Peter D Reaven, Progression of Vascular Calcification Is Increased With Statin Use in the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial (VADT). Diabetes Care. 2012 Aug 8. Epub 2012 Aug 8. PMID: 22875226

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