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Canadian Authorities Now Require that Cholesterol-Lowering
Drug Advertisements Must Carry Warnings about the Dangerous
Results of Taking these Drugs.
The popular cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs called
statins have grown into a huge business; statins are the
most widely prescribed class of drugs in history. Unlike the
U.S., Canadian regulatory authorities require several
additional warnings regarding the statin drugs.
These hazards are clearly spelled out in the Canadian ads:
Statins lower coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels and they raise
Lipoprotein(a)
[Lp(a)] blood levels. The world needs to know that
scientists have discovered a perfectly safe and
natural alternative statin.
(PRWEB) April 3 2004--Unlike the U.S., Canadian regulatory
authorities require several warnings regarding statin cholesterol-
lowering drugs. These popular prescription drugs, including
Lipitor and Zocor, lower coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels and
they raise Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) blood levels.
Low CoQ10 is considered to be a primary cause of congestive
heart failure, and elevated Lp(a) is a risk factor for
cardiovascular disease that exceeds the risk of LDL
cholesterol.
"Because the U.S. does not require such warnings in drug
ads, few American doctors are aware of these hazards,"
writes Owen Fonorow, director of the Houston-based Vitamin C
Foundation. "Our doctors know that tiny amounts of
artificial statin drugs can damage the liver, but they are
not aware that these drugs also increase the risk of heart
failure and the need for heart transplant."
In May of 2003, two citizen petitions were filed with the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that the
agency educate consumers about taking CoQ10 alongside the
prescription medication. According to Julian Whitaker, M.D.,
who filed the petitions, statin drugs block the endogenous
biosynthesis of CoQ10. "A deficiency of CoQ10 is associated
with impairment of myocardial function, with liver
dysfunction and with myopathids, including cardiomyopathy
and congestive heart failure," Whitaker writes.
All statins – natural or artificial -- lower cholesterol by
blocking the same essential enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. In
1985, Harwood, et. al., discovered that ascorbic acid
(Vitamin C) is the human body's natural HMG-CoA reductase
inhibitor, without the liver-destroying potential.
Fonorow writes,"People need to know that there is a
perfectly safe and natural alternative statin - vitamin C."
When vitamin C levels are low, the body compensates and
manufactures more cholesterol. When serum levels are high,
Vitamin C inhibits HMG-CoA reductase, which predictably
lowers cholesterol.
"It appears from the studies and reports we have read that
the proper dose of vitamin C is between 6000 and 8000 mg
daily for 3 to 6 months in order to achieve a substantial
cholesterol-lowering effect in those with high cholesterol,"
said Fonorow.
Unlike artificial statins, vitamin C protects the liver,
increases CoQ10 synthesis and reduces Lp(a) - which hundreds
of studies have identified as the true culprit in
cardiovascular disease.
It is estimated that 15 million Americans take statin drugs.