Kidney failure patients live longer if they have high cholesterol

This study was published in Kidney International 2002 May;61(5):1887-93

Study title and authors:

Hypocholesterolemia is a significant predictor of death in a cohort of chronic hemodialysis patients.

Iseki K, Yamazato M, Tozawa M, Takishita S.

Dialysis Unit and Third Department of Internal Medicine, University of The Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan. chihokun@med.u-ryukyu.ac.jp

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11967041

The study investigated the impact of cholesterol levels in kidney failure patients receiving hemodialysis treatment. The study included 1,167 hemodialysis patients who were followed for ten years.

The study found that 12.7% more patients survived who had the highest cholesterol, above 220 mg/dL (5.7 mmol/L), compared to the patients with the lowest cholesterol, below 140 mg/dL (3.6 mmol/L).

Statins increase the risk of acute pancreatitis by 44%

This study was published in Aliment Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2006 Jan 1;23(1):185-90

Study title and authors:

Statins and the risk of acute pancreatitis: a population-based case-control study.

Thisted H, Jacobsen J, Munk EM, Nørgaard B, Friis S, McLaughlin JK, Sørensen HT, Johnsen SP.

Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. ht@dce.au.dk

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16393296

The aim of the study was to examine if statins are associated with risk of acute pancreatitis. The study included 2,576 patients with acute pancreatitis and 25,817 controls from the general population.

The study found that statin users had a 44% increased risk of pancreatitis.

Increased risk of breast cancer related to statin use

This study was published in Anticancer Research 2009 Dec;29(12):5143-8

Study title and authors:

Statins and breast cancer in postmenopausal women without hormone therapy.

Eaton M, Eklof J, Beal JR, Sahmoun AE.

University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20044629

This study investigated the association between statin use and risk of breast cancer among overweight or obese postmenopausal women who have never used hormone therapy. The study included 95 women with breast cancer and 94 controls. The women were aged from 55 to 81 years old and had a body mass index over 25.0 kg/m2.

The study found:
(a) Women who used statins had a 30% increased risk of breast cancer compared to women not using statins.
(b) Women who used lovastatin, simvastatin, fluvastatin, or atorvastatin type statins had a 310% increased risk of breast cancer.

This study found an increased risk of breast cancer related to statin use in overweight postmenopausal women.

Links to other studies:
Young women who are treated with statins may be at increased risk for the development of breast cancer
Statins may promote cancer in certain segments of the population

Remission without insulin therapy on gluten-free diet in a 6-year old boy with type 1 diabetes

This study was published in the British Medical Journal 2012 Jun 21

Study title and authors:

Remission without insulin therapy on gluten-free diet in a 6-year old boy with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Sildorf SM, Fredheim S, Svensson J, Buschard K.

Paediatric Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22729336

This paper describes a 5-year and 10-month old boy was diagnosed with classical type 1 diabetes without celiac disease. Patients with type 1 diabetes typically require an insulin dosage of 0.5 to 1.0 unit per kg per day see here.

The boy was put on a gluten-free diet without insulin treatment.

On the gluten-free diet the boy achieved the following:
(a) His initial HbA1c was 7.8% and was stabilised at 5.8%-6.0% without insulin therapy. (A normal non-diabetic HbA1C is 3.5-5.5%. In diabetes about 6.5% is good).
(b) His fasting glucose was maintained at 4.0-5.0 mmol/l. (Diabetes is diagnosed on the criteria of fasting blood glucose level in excess of 7.7 mmol/l).
(c) He does not need insulin therapy.
(d) The gluten-free diet was safe and without side effects.

Sildorf found that the gluten-free diet prolonged remission in this patient with type 1 diabetes.

Links to other studies:
Gluten-containing foods increase the risk of type 1 diabetes in children
Gluten-free diet may be beneficial in the management of type 1 diabetes
Gluten free diet gives type 1 diabetics an improvement in quality of life, better blood sugar control, disappearance of diarrhea and an increase in the uptake of iron

Low cholesterol levels are associated with higher death rates

This study was published in the American Journal of Medicine 2003 Sep;115(4):265-71

Study title and authors:

Serum cholesterol levels and in-hospital mortality in the elderly.

Onder G, Landi F, Volpato S, Fellin R, Carbonin P, Gambassi G, Bernabei R.

Department of Geriatrics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. graziano_onder@rm.unicatt.it

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12967690

The study explored whether cholesterol levels were associated with in-hospital mortality among elderly patients. The study analyzed cholesterol levels in 6,984 hopitalized patients aged 65 years or older.

The study found that those with the lowest cholesterol, less than 160 mg/dL (4.1 mmol/l), had 44% increased death rates compared to those with the highest cholesterol, over 240 mg/dL (6.6 mmol/l).

The results of the study indicate that among older hospitalized adults, low cholesterol levels are associated with higher death rates.

Higher cholesterol levels are associated with less severe strokes and lower death rates

This study was published in Stroke 2007 Oct;38(10):2646-51

Study title and authors:

Higher total serum cholesterol levels are associated with less severe strokes and lower all-cause mortality: ten-year follow-up of ischemic strokes in the Copenhagen Stroke Study.

Olsen TS, Christensen RH, Kammersgaard LP, Andersen KK.

Stroke Unit, Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hvidovre University Hospital, Kettegaard Allé 30, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark. Tom.Skyhoej.Olsen@hvh.regionh.dk

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17761907

The Scandinavian Stroke Scale is a measurement of stroke severity where a score of "0" is the most severe stroke and a score of "58" is the least severe stroke.

The study investigated the relationship between cholesterol levels and both stroke severity and poststroke death rates in 513 stroke patients average age 75 who were followed for ten years.

The study found:
(a) Each 1 mmol/l (38 mg/dL) increase in cholesterol levels resulted in an increase in the Scandinavian Stroke Scale score of 32% meaning that higher cholesterol levels are associated with less severe strokes.
(b) Each 1 mmol/l (38 mg/dL) increase in cholesterol levels resulted in an 11% decrease in death rates.

The results of the study show that higher cholesterol levels are associated with less severe strokes and lower death rates.

Links to other studies:
High cholesterol levels are associated with a 22% DECREASE in stroke incidence
Low cholesterol and serious complications after an ischemic stroke
A direct association between falling cholesterol levels and mortality in men and women aged between 31 and 65 years old

How statins cause male infertility

This paper was published in the Journal of Andrology 2005 Jan-Feb;26(1):12

Study title and author:

Atorvastatin and male infertility: is there a link?

Niederberger C.

Division of Andrology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15611560

Niederberger notes that some doctors have noticed many men on Lipitor (atorvastatin) have low sperm motility. Sperm motility describes the ability of sperm to "swim" properly towards an egg to enable a successful pregnancy.

Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone) is a vitamin-like substance produced by the body.

Niedberger relays how sperm motility may be affected by statins by the following mechanism:
(a) Statins inhibit the production of Coenzyme Q10. Even a brief exposure to atorvastatin causes a marked decrease in blood Coenzyme Q10 concentrations.
(b) Coenzyme Q10 is vital for energy production and is also an important antioxidant. Both these properties are vital for sperm motility.
(c) Coenzyme Q10 is present in high concentrations in semen and high levels of coenzyme Q10 correlate with increased sperm motility.

This paper shows the mechanism of how statins can cause male infertility.