Statins and Brain Fog

Is there a connection?

Hi everyone - 

Did you know that over 92 million people in the U.S. are on a statin?  That's a lot…

My latest article explains the research studies on the second most common side effect reported by patients on statins: memory loss and cognitive changes. 

Reading the research on statins has been frustrating. As the most commonly prescribed class of drugs, there is a lot of information published on statins, and much of it seems to just repeat certain talking points. 

While this new article is about the link to brain fog for some people taking statins, I also want to mention here that several large research studies show that there is a significant increase in the relative risk of type 2 diabetes for people taking statins. (This may be something that everyone already knows since it is even on the CDC website, but it was new to me and quite surprising.) Recent genetic studies show that the connection to the increase in diabetes is due to the way statins work and not due to lowering cholesterol. Inhibiting HMGCR raises blood sugar levels, according to Mendelian randomization studies.

As always, I want to emphasize that this article is intended to inform you about the research, not to make a recommendation about whether or not to take a medication. You and your doctor can weigh the pros and cons for your circumstances - and talk about ways to mitigate any risk factors. 

I am always hesitant to write about controversial topics, such as statin use, but the genetics research on the mechanism of action seems clear here. I've done my best to present an unbiased look at the research, but I'm sure I'll still get lots of emails on this one. Please be kind :-)  But do feel free to send a note if you see anything in the article that you think is incorrect. 

Gratefully yours, 

~ Debbie

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Statins and Brain Fog: What is the link?

Key takeaways:
~ Statins inhibit HMGCR, which is the rate-limiting enzyme of the mevalonate pathway.
~ The mevolnate pathway produces cholesterol, CoQ10, and other compounds.
~ Some studies show that statins may cause memory problems and brain fog.
~ Genetic variants impact how well statins inhibit the HMGCR enzyme in the mevalonate pathway.

Why statins may cause cognitive problems in some people

Did you know that more than 92 million people in the US have been prescribed statins?[ref] That’s a lot of people on cholesterol-lowering drugs. Statins have been around for decades and are one of the most prescribed types of medications.

There is more to the story of cholesterol and statins than just heart disease…

I’m going to explain the research, and lack of research, on the second most common complaint of statin users – brain fog.

more....

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What I've been reading:

1. Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration: A prospective cohort study

The regularity of going to bed at the same time each night may be more important for health than how long you sleep.  The study found that: " Higher sleep regularity was associated with a 20-48% lower risk of all-cause mortality".  Importantly, higher sleep regularity was associated with a lower risk of cancer death and cardiometabolic mortality. 

Circadian rhythm is built into every living thing. Messing with it never turns out to be a good idea. 

2. Assessment of Myocardial 18F-FDG Uptake at PET/CT in Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated and Nonvaccinated Patients
This study looks at inflammation levels in the heart muscle of vaccinated and unvaccinated people using a specific type of PET/CT scan that is highly sensitive to inflammation in the heart in fasted patients. The study is unique in that it used data from about 1,000 FDG PET/CT scans that were performed on patients for reasons other than myocarditis (mainly for cancer testing). The results showed that people who were asymptomatic for myocarditis had inflammation in their heart muscle after vaccination. Here's an expert's explanation of the study.