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Newer cholesterol drugs linked to reduced lung function
When lovastatin hit the market back in 1987, statins quickly became the highest-grossing drugs in history and have fueled controversy since.
For starters, the evidence for using statins to lower ‘bad’ cholesterol to prevent heart attack and stroke may not be as strong as previously thought.
The drugs themselves stoke concern about side effects, including muscle pain, doubling dementia risk, accelerating the onset of Parkinson’s and tripling the risk for type 2 diabetes, to name a few.
After years of use, the number of Americans diagnosed with heart disease every year continues to grow. And along with newer drugs and newer pathways to target cholesterol, the list of side effects continues to grow as well…
The key is to understand the risks associated with choosing medication for cholesterol treatment. Any decision you make, likely along with your doctor, should be an informed one.
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Why long-term research matters
In 2023, the University of South Australia completed one of the world’s most extensive studies on drugs designed to treat cholesterol. This study was also the first to compare these drugs to a range of clinical and heart and brain MRI biomarkers.
Statins are designed to lower cholesterol in the bloodstream. This study also included PCSK9 inhibitors, a lipid-lowering class of medications that clear cholesterol from cells, which received FDA approval in 2015. You may know them by the brand names: Praluent and Repatha.
Using the genetic data of 340,000 UK Biobank participants, researchers found a few things of note about PCSK9 inhibitors…
They were found to correlate with higher BMI and body fat, as well as reduced testosterone levels.
For both men and women, reduced testosterone can lead to low sex drive, lack of energy and reduced strength, muscle tone and bone mass. Testosterone is also a primary factor in the health of the heart and blood vessels.
One unexpected finding was that some people experienced an increase in brain volume of the hippocampus, which may reduce the risk of dementia and depression.
But that wasn’t all they found…
PCSK9: Inhibiting cholesterol and lung function
The Australian research discovered that PCSK9 inhibitors could impair lung function.
That means if you’re already living with a condition that compromises your ability to breathe, such as asthma or sleep apnea, you may want to discuss with your physician if PCSK9 inhibitors are appropriate for you.
UniSA PhD student Kitty Pham, lead author of the paper, says that this is just the point she was trying to make.
“These findings help us to understand how people may react to different drugs and assess the viability of new drug pathways.”
In other words, a lot more needs to be known about cholesterol drugs so that physicians can prescribe them with caution, and with the specific needs of their patients in mind.
Similar findings, indicating that PCSK9 inhibitors decrease lung function, were published in 2024.
Other side effects for PCSK9 inhibitors, considered mild, include:
- diarrhea
- urinary tract infection
- influenza
- bronchitis
- sinusitis
- muscle spasms
- chest pain not related to the heart
- swelling of the nasal passages and back of the throat
- muscle pain
- injection site reaction
- mild allergic reaction
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Drugs aren’t the only option
While research is ongoing into which of these cholesterol-lowering drugs might be best for whom, remember that there are drug-free methods for keeping your cholesterol under control.
What cardiologist Dr. Elizabeth Klodas tells her patients about statins, particularly, is that guidelines suggest four instances where drugs are necessary. And if you don’t fall there, she’s happy to discuss the impressive effects of lifestyle changes and why drugs are an incomplete solution.
That’s because numerous studies have also proven that the right foods, exercise, and stress management can effectively reduce the risk of heart disease. Studies have even shown that the right diet can reverse it.
Studies have also identified causes of heart disease we’d never have suspected a couple of decades ago, like gum disease, thyroid function and testosterone balance. Therefore, it’s essential to identify the root cause of your health problem.
We’ve also learned that our diets don’t have to be as restrictive as we once thought to achieve a healthier heart through our eating habits. Simply avoiding the worst foods and eating more of a few key foods can help us reach our goals.
It’s your decision, just be sure you (and your doctor) have all the facts to make the best decision for you.
Editor’s note: While you’re doing all the right things to protect your brain as you age, make sure you don’t make the mistake 38 million Americans do every day — by taking a drug that robs them of an essential brain nutrient! Click here to discover the truth about the Cholesterol Super-Brain!
Sources:
One pill doesn’t fit all: Cholesterol study reveals effects on lung function and brain size — EurekAlert
Genetically instrumented LDL-cholesterol lowering and multiple disease outcomes: A Mendelian randomization phenome-wide association study in the UK Biobank — British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
Repurposing lipid-lowering drugs on asthma and lung function: evidence from a genetic association analysis — Journal of Translational Medicine
By Joyce Hollman
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