How an acne drug could make statins obsolete

Even if you maintain a healthy weight, control your blood pressure, and don’t smoke, there’s a good chance your arteries will harden to some degree as you age.

In fact, although the adverse effects of plaque buildup don’t usually make themselves known until midlife or later, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) often starts as early as your 20s.

Then by age 50, the doctors push statins on everyone — the “gold standard treatment” that carries its own scary set of problems.

But an accidental discovery could change that…

How your arteries harden

Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances found in the blood. Over time, plaque hardens and narrows your arteries. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body.

This is often a silent process until a stroke or heart attack occurs.

A stroke can happen at any age. But after the age of 55, our stroke risk more than doubles with each passing decade.

Acne, on the other hand, is generally thought of as a problem faced by those much younger.

What do the two have in common? An accidental discovery that could lead to a statin alternative…

Discovering the mechanism of atherosclerosis

It starts with a molecule called poly (ADP-ribose), or PAR, which carries out DNA repair on cells. Anytime your DNA faces a free radical assault, PAR is released to rebuild it.

In a prior study, researchers at the University of Cambridge and King’s College London discovered that PAR also works outside the cells to enable the production of bone tissue.

This led them to wonder whether the molecule also had a role in the buildup of calcium inside arteries. As it turns out, the answer is yes.

Once outside the cell, the PAR molecule attaches to calcium molecules and forms large calcium droplets, which in turn adhere to the collagen and elastin of the artery walls. The droplets harden, causing the arteries to stiffen.

Related: Calcium trumps cholesterol at saving your heart

The next logical step was to search for a PAR-inhibitor, something safe that could stop or slow this process. Enter minocycline.

In rats with long-term kidney disease, the acne medication minocycline was the most effective choice they found. Of course, human trials are still needed, and the researchers hope to begin those within two years.

Who knows for sure, but if all goes as planned your doctor could switch your statin prescription for acne medication.

Sounds good, but is it really?

From the frying pan to the fire

Like most acne medication, minocyline is an antibiotic.

So, is using an antibiotic when you don’t have an infection a good idea? Only if you’re in the pharmaceutical industry and stand to profit from it. Here’s how…

One of the pharmaceutical companies credited for involvement in this discovery was Cycle Pharma. A quick visit to their home page reveals that one of the chief areas they focus on is repurposing drugs. In fact, they’re “passionate about discovering alternative indications for existing drugs.”

Cycle Pharma is a drug creator’s dream because in a world of “orphan” drugs — meaning a pharmaceutical that remains commercially underdeveloped owing to limited potential for profits — they can find more reasons for people to take that drug.

And they’ve been busy finding more reasons for you to take minocycline…

In fact, they were involved in research suggesting that the acne antibiotic can help rheumatoid arthritis patients, though the American College of Rheumatology’s most recent recommendations for RA treatment do not include minocycline.

Are you getting the picture?

Quick fixes are no answer for slow medicine

If popping a tiny pill for a potentially big problem sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Of course, that’s an individual’s choice. But just like statins, minocycline has its drawbacks, aside from the concern about antibiotic resistance, including side effects like:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Allergic reactions
• Kidney problems
• Anaphylaxis
• A lupus-like syndrome
• And easy sun burning

Doesn’t sound so great now, does it? Thank goodness it’s not your only option…

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas is a cardiologist and colleague, and according to her, “If we just remove the obstacles, the body can heal itself. Fast Medicine sees high cholesterol and prescribes a pill. Slow medicine tries to uncover why the cholesterol is high in the first place and then removes the cause.”

Try following a heart-healthy diet, like the Mediterranean diet.

Or simply eat more cruciferous vegetable every day. Here’s why…

Researchers at the University of Western Australia in Crawley found that older women who ate a lot of vegetables had thinner artery walls than women who didn’t. Their arteries were 0.05-millimeter thinner. This may not sound like a lot, but every 0.1-millimeter decrease in carotid wall thickness lowers your risk of having a stroke or heart attack by 10 to 18 percent.

They found that every 10 grams of cruciferous vegetables women ate per day reduced the thickness of their carotid artery wall by 0.8 percent. Since a typical serving of broccoli is about 36 grams, that probably leads to a nice reduction in stroke and heart attack risk. This study was on women, but men should reap the benefits as well.

And vegetables don’t upset your stomach like antibiotics. Something to think about…

Editor’s note: Instead of blindly lowering your cholesterol with questionable medicines, the thing to do would be to optimize it. To learn more about cholesterol’s role in your body, and its importance for brain health, you might want to read Dr. Michael Cutler’s book, The Cholesterol Super-Brain. You can click here for a preview.

Sources:

1. We Finally Know Why Arteries Harden With Age, And There Could Be a Surprising Fix For It — ScienceAlert
2. Poly(ADP-Ribose) Links the DNA Damage Response and Biomineralization — Cell Reports
3. Common acne drug could prevent artery hardening — Medical News Today
4. Atherosclerosis: Your Arteries Age by Age — WebMD
5. Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Beginning in Childhood — Korean Circulation Journal
6. Can minocycline help treat rheumatoid arthritis? — Medical News Today
7. Minocycline — Wikipedia