Do statins prevent heart disease, heart attacks and strokes

[dataguy]

@Wesley_Clark

Your link was interesting, what have you found over the years on these issues.

1. What do you know about and think about the LDL-oxidation theory of arteriosclerosis? Instead of LDL levels themselves being the risk factor, it is the oxidation of LDL that is the risk and that a person needs to address.

2. How/where did you find that statins were anti-inflammatories? Would the benefit they show be tied into point 1, by reducing LDL oxidation?

3. Do other anti-inflammatories have similar health benefits? I have read up on anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories for CVD. But I don’t know how much of that research was done by people with a financial interest in the products being researched.

4. I believe Lipitor is the only statin shown in studies to help prevent heart attacks (I believe, I could be wrong). But those were for people with a history of heart attacks. Do you know if lipitor is somehow different than the other statins?

I haven’t kept up with all the current research on this topic.

1. I’m aware of this theory. In my opinion, it has more supporting evidence than the simple high LDL=high CVD risk hypothesis.

2. The anti-inflammatory effect of statins has been noted in several studies as the explanation for reduction of cardiovascular events. Here’s a link: Are statins anti-inflammatory? - PMC

3. I have no information on the effects of other anti-inflammatories.

4. I have no information on Lipitor compared to other statins in this regard.