Lower Your Cholesterol
Heart disease is the number one killer in the Western world today. More than 40% of men will die from it. In many cases, high cholesterol is a contributing factor in the development of heart disease. Therefore lowering your cholesterol through diet, exercise and if necessary medication may help reduce the risk of heart disese.
Getting A New Prescription for Your Cholesterol? Ask Some Important Qu
There will come a time that - despite diet and exercise - your cholesterol levels may not come down. It happens to many of us, and it is at this point your healthcare provider may want to place you on medication.
There's a lot of negative information out there about cholesterol-lowering medication - particularly statins. But what some people won't tell you is that this medication can keep your cholesterol levels down, your heart healthy - and may actually save your life.
If you receive a prescription to lower your cholesterol, don't be shy about asking your healthcare provider some questions you may have about your medication. Be open about your concerns. In fact, many healthcare providers welcome this interaction and are happy to address these with you. This articlewill help you determine which questions you might have about your new medication. Being reluctant about filling a new medication - especially for something as silent as high cholesterol- is completely normal. The more questions you have answered about your medication, the better you will feel and the sooner you will be on the road to good heart health.
Getting A New Prescription for Your Cholesterol? Ask Some Important Questionsoriginally appeared on About.com Cholesterolon Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 23:40:24.
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Lipitor May Be Linked to Risk of Type II Diabetes, Study Finds
A recent studypublished in the Journal of the American College of Cardiologysuggests that individuals taking Lipitor(atorvastatin) may be at a slightly higher risk of developing type II diabetes compared to those not taking the drug.
The study is an analysis of three large trials that used Lipitor to lower cholesterol and lower incidence of cardiovasculardisease:
- TNT (Treating to New Targets)
- IDEAL (Incremental Decrease in End Points Through Aggressive Lipid Lowering)
- SPARCL (Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels)
Gender and age (with the exception of the IDEAL trial) did not appear to be associated with new cases of type II diabetes in the study. Although there was a trend towards developing type II diabetes in those taking a higher dose of atorvastatin (80 mg), this was only statistically significant in one trial.
However, the individuals who had developed type II diabetes in these trials also appeared to have other risk factors for the condition before the trial began, such as a higher body mass index and higher fasting blood glucose levels, in comparison to those taking Lipitor that did not develop type II diabetes. The participants that developed diabetes were also more likely to have high blood pressure, higher triglyceridesand lower HDLlevels at the beginning of each study.
Previous studies have examined the effect of Lipitor on glucose control, however these studies have been small and have had varied results. Whereas one study of Japanese participants taking Lipitor saw higher incidence of uncontrolled glucose levels, another study involving European participants did not yield such results. Although some mechanisms have been proposed, such as decreased insulin sensitivity or decreased production of insulin, the exact mechanism by which this could occur is currently unknown.
So, while the link noted in these studies between atorvastatin and type II diabetes is casual, more studies would need to be conducted in order to determine whether or not it is the statin that contributes to this risk, or other factors. In the meantime, talk to your healthcare provider if you are concerned about these findings. Until more studies can be conducted, these findings should not be a reason to discontinue the drug - especially since other studies have established the benefits of taking a statin- especially in cases where you already have already been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
Source: Waters DD, Ho JE, DeMicco DA et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2011;57:1535-1545.
Photo: istockphoto.com
Lipitor May Be Linked to Risk of Type II Diabetes, Study Findsoriginally appeared on About.com Cholesterolon Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 at 15:43:01.
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