Lies, damned lies and statins. Well, maybe not lies...

Oh, my eyes! There’s no cure for looking at the Daily Mail, is there? Oh, I feel so dirty.

I couldn’t help but spot this article, recommending the compulsory treatment of the over 50’s with statins, a group of compounds known to inhibit hydroxy-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase), an enzyme key to the production of cholesterol in the body. The chap responsible for this mass-dosing plea in the UK is the heart czar Roger Boyle, who has been championing the prescription of statins since… well, since he was appointed.

There is no doubt in my mind that statins can benefit people who are:
1) Male
2) Diagnosed with atherosclerosis
3) Have high (>7 mmol) serum cholesterol
4) At risk of heart failure

…but I think a general catch-all 50+ strategy might be flawed. Malcolm Kendrick makes a pretty good case against here.

Boyle does not appear to be an advocate of that old favourite, diet and exercise. Certainly he would appear to side with the drug therapy side of things. I’m almost tempted to try a bit of investigative journalism to see if he’s lobbied by any drug companies.

By the way, Simvastatin is a good example of the grapefruit juice effect. Patients on this particular statin are very clearly advised not to eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice. Ever.