Statin alternative tested
- |
Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs don’t work for everyone because some people suffer troubling side effects, including muscle pain known as myalgia. Scientists tested a dietary supplement also known to reduce cholesterol to see whether patients who had to stop taking statins could tolerate the alternative treatment.
Dr. David J. Becker of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his colleagues recruited 62 patients at a suburban cardiology practice who had high cholesterol but stopped statin therapy because of muscle pain. Half were randomly assigned to receive capsules containing 1,800 milligrams of red yeast rice twice a day for 24 weeks. The others were given similar capsules with no active ingredients. Both groups also participated in a lifestyle change program that emphasized eating a Mediterranean diet, exercising more, and practicing relaxation techniques.
Their blood was tested after three months and again after six months, when the mean levels of low-density lipid - or “bad’’ - cholesterol had fallen from 163 to 128 milligrams per deciliter in the people taking the red yeast supplement, significantly more than the 14-milligram drop in the placebo group. Depending on the dose, statins can reduce LDL cholesterol by 20 to 45 percent, according to the American Heart Association.
“Our approach may provide a therapeutic lipid-lowering option for the large cohort of patients with a history of statin-associated myalgias,’’ the authors wrote.
BOTTOM LINE: Red yeast rice supplements could be an option for people with high cholesterol who cannot tolerate statin drugs.
CAUTIONS: This was a small study. Also, red yeast supplements are not approved as drugs, so their quality and strength may vary.
WHAT’S NEXT: “A larger, multicenter trial with longer follow-up is needed to determine whether red yeast rice offers a safe and effective solution for this unmet medical need and to evaluate its effects on cardiovascular outcomes,’’ the authors wrote.
WHERE TO FIND IT: Annals of Internal Medicine, June 16
The purposeful life
Having the sense that life has meaning and that one’s goals are within reach can make for a more positive outlook, research has shown. But can it also lead to a longer life?Patricia A. Boyle and a team from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago interviewed more than 1,200 older people without dementia living in the community. They gave the participants medical exams and asked them whether they agreed with 10 statements, such as “I am an active person in carrying out the goals I set for myself’’ or “My daily activities often seem trivial and unimportant to me.’’
After five years, 151 of the 1,238 people had died. The people who tended to find more meaning in their lives and be more focused on goals had a reduced risk of death compared with those who scored lower on measures assessing signs of direction in life. The results held true even after age, sex, education, and race were factored into the analysis. Depressive symptoms, neuroticism, disability, the number of medical conditions, and income also did not change the findings.
“Positive factors such as having a sense of purpose in life may provide a buffer against negative health outcomes, particularly in old age,’’ the authors wrote.
BOTTOM LINE: Older people who find meaning in their lives had a lower risk of dying than adults who felt their lives had little direction.
CAUTIONS: The study didn’t prove that a sense of purpose lengthens life, nor is it clear how this would affect a person’s health.
WHAT’S NEXT: More research might discern whether having a sense of purpose is related to health problems of older people, including Alzheimer’s disease.
WHERE TO FIND IT: Psychosomatic Medicine, June 15
ELIZABETH COONEY
