Faulty Risk Data Drives Statin Sales

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Framingham's Faulty Risk Data Drives Statin Sales

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Byron s, CCN

http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/articles/framinghams_faulty_risk_data_dr\

ives_statin_sales/?source=Email & camp=news010809

In the world of fast-food medicine doctors utilize lab test numbers, family

history, and lifestyle factors to help decide whether or not to place

patients on statin drugs. For the past decade they have relied on various

risk tools based on data coming from the Framingham study. A new study

shows that up to 26% of the people being given statins based on this

commonly-used criteria have absolutely no plaque in their arteries! Said

another way, 5 billion in statin sales per year are flat out fraud.

It never ceases to amaze me how data is perverted and twisted for the

purpose of drug sales. The Framingham study is responsible for opening the

statin-prescribing flood gates based on the results of the study that

claimed a 30% risk reduction for cardiovascular disease by lowering

cholesterol. (Never mind that DHA-containing fish oil reduces risk by 50%).

From this questionable data sprung an entire industry that uses

Framingham-data equations to concoct risk at any age and then prescribe

drugs.

Quite interestingly, data from the actual Framingham study shows that

lowering cholesterol does not improve all-cause mortality, except in people

ages 40 to 50. Between ages 50 and 70 there is no improvement in overall

mortality risk from lowering cholesterol. After age 80, low cholesterol

clearly increases all cause mortality.

A study of 4,500 Italians, ages 65 to 84, showed that those with total

cholesterol levels below 189 had a significantly higher all-cause mortality

than those with total cholesterol levels higher than 189.

Doctors currently use this Framingham data, in a warped way, to routinely

hand out statins to older Americans even though there is no evidence it will

help them live longer. To the contrary, older Americans are now suffering

400,000 extra cases of heart failure per year! This new health problem

correlates directly to increased statin use in this population.

The statin fraud, like the bone drug fraud, is costing lives and the health

of millions of Americans. Anyone taking these drugs is playing Russian

roulette with their own health. There is no quick fix or short cut to being

healthy - but there is a path.

Related Entries:

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