If you're coming here to shout "paid shill" at me, welcome! However do please try watching the video too. If you still feel statins are a money grab, consider that a 1 month course of Atorvastatin costs £1 in the UK. I'll try to answer a few questions, if you have any, over the next few days, please put them as new comments, not replies to this one. Thanks for watching 🙂 Edit: yes I got the lottery odds wrong, dammit Jim I'm a doctor not a gambly risk man! Edit 2: Apologies to those who weren't aware of what statins are, this video wasn't really intended to be an intro to the field but more a guide for those who might be taking them. I agree with comments that I could've put a quick paragraph saying what they are.

As someone with 7 plus years experience taking Simvastatin after a "minor" heart attack at age 55, I can only tell you of my personal results. I began to suffer severe joint pain in both of my hands after 2 years on the drug. I battled high blood glucose levels almost immediately ( one of the many listed side effects of statins is diabetes!). Cognition was diminished ( I would find myself confused as to my location on the drive home from work). Concentration became difficult at times. Diarrhea became a way of life and I felt nauseous for most of the day. After reading many articles on the negative effects of statins, I quit taking the drug. Within a short time ALL of the negative effects went away. I felt human again. My blood glucose levels dropped 30 points! Most remarkably, my cholesterol levels were now in a normal range and my triglycerides are damned near perfect. I truly believe that the best thing that you can do for yourself if you have heart disease or are type 2 diabetic is to eat a healthy, low carb or no carb diet, exercise a bit, and throw the freakin pills away!

Dude! My father was a MD and I have always believed in medicine. However, when I was put on Statins every joint in my body ached, and l was quite despondent and noticed that I did not know my dog, of eight years, name! I stopped taking Statins and everything returned to normal. Best of luck!

I appreciate your information and perspective, doctor. I am a 74 year old woman In Canada who has congestive heart failure and afib. I also have familial cholesterol and although I eat carefully, I have been unable to bring it down. In consultation with my doctor, we decided to go on a low dose statin. I have no side effects, and as you say, I won't "feel" the benefit, however, I am hoping to live longer and be well. I have my first granddaughter who is 2 and I would like to live long enough for her to get to know me and remember me. I will do my best. Again, many thanks. All the best.

I was taking atorvastatin regularly for about a month and a half. My cholesterol went down, but my blood sugar rose to alarming heights. I've decided that diet and exercise will be the way to go

The question that actually needs to be asked in relation to statins is: Is Cholesterol really the problem? Do people with high total cholesterol really die sooner? Why isn't your doctor talking to you about the effects of sugar as it relates to metabolic health?

How Refreshing....straight, forward, informed commentary. A rarity anywhere on the internet. Thank you so much!

I will sum up my feelings about statins in 3 words - quality of life. The first statin I took caused me to have leg cramps that were literally rolling on the floor in tears. The second one caused so much weakness in my legs that I could not stand up out of a chair without help. The third one was not much better - made it difficult to maintain my balance. As such, I refused to take any more statins. What is the point of extending life if it is to be lived as a borderline cripple? Since I quit the statins, I feel better, am more active, andhave an all around better life.

a short introduction on statins would have been very much appreciated (at least by me)

You make good and clear points- thanks. BUT, the muscle pain I experienced after starting statins was so severe that no argument in the universe would ever have me expose myself to that possibility ever again.

“Knowledge is power” - THAT encapsulates this very worthy video message on statins. Thank you Dr. for a very well delivered, intellectually sound argument on this topic - brilliant!

Thank you for a clear explanation. I am a well controlled diabetic with no family history of heart disease. My mother is 96 and everyone in our family lived into their late 80's and died of cancer. I have marginally elevated LDL and cholesterol. Ten years ago, I had a cardiac CT that showed a zero calcium score, and my coronary arteries are 1 to 2mm are larger than normal. This CT was offered for free to physicians so they could calibrate the new CT machine. I have no cardiac disease presently. I tried a statin for a few months because of the recommendation of my endocrinologist. I had minimal muscle symptoms, but my LFTs became elevated. I elected to not continue the statins. My LFTs returned to normal. I hope I have made the correct decision. I am 68 years old. I think I will have another cardiac CT when I turn 70 and reevaluate my decision based on the results. I hope I am in the 90% that wouldn't have any benefit to the medication.

My husband who always follows doctors orders and takes tablets without fear. He suffered with muscle pain for 7 years finally went off them and feels so much better. He still takes blood pressure pills without any negative affects. He is more active and even lost weight since stopping statins

I sent this to my staunchly anti-statins mother and after watching she said that next time her doctor suggests it she might say yes! That is huge, you are a miracle worker, thank you! ♥️

Very noticable joint pain on Lipitor. None on Crestor, Hmmm. Nevertheless, I've stopped stains about 3 years ago (66) and will play the odds! Thank you Doc! Great video!!

When I started losing my vocabulary, losing muscle mass, and experiencing random pain in my abdomen, I quit taking statin. My cholesterol is very high, but I have no other health problems. My blood pressure is 120/73, my A1C is 4.9, and I no longer have stomach problems, muscle pain, edema, or depression.

I want to coin the term 'informed refusal' (or 'informed dissent', if you prefer). It's something we should strive for. If a patient refuses our suggested therapy, fine, but only if they know the benefits and the harms of their refusal. Just like with informed consent.

My dad took himself off his statins. He’d been on them for years. I was rather worried. The thing I noticed first was he could sudden move more easily. Next was his conversation ability. He had been very depressed for years, now he was upbeat, his conversations were more logical. In the last few months I’ve had the best conversations I have had with him in years. He says he’d rather die feeling alive, than live wanting to die. His inspiration came from cardiologist Aseem Malhota who explains how statins work somewhat differently. It is so hard to know what is right. In the end I think each of us should find out all we can, pay attention to our bodies and make our own minds up.

Thank you! I do regular exercise and take care of my diet but despite it I got high colesterol, my doctor gave me 6 months to modify my diet and nothing change so she put me in statins and after two days I had so many questions! You are the most informative video I found!

Thanks doctor for posting this video so that people can add their comments about their personal experience with statins (most of which are negative). We need more videos like this.

Me who never heard of statins before: Ah yes, finally, a video on statins from Dr. Rohin Francis!

I'm a physician in the U.S. and I appreciate you pointing out that you don't have a conflict of interest because of the structure of health care there. Here in the U.S., the incentives are totally screwed up due to the over reliance on procedures and de-emphasizing of preventive care. U.S. physicians salaries are the highest in the world (specialists only higher in Holland). This attracts the wrong type of person to the profession. We'd be well served to expand access to and collectively fund medical training thereby allowing the reduction in reimbursements, spreading out of work, and eventual nationalizing of healthcare. This for profit system kills 68K Americans yearly (probably an underestimate).

After being on Lipitor for ~15 years, I could barely walk from the muscle pain. Stopped taking it, and the pain dissipated almost entirely in just a few months.

While I can appreciate your education and background, the fact remains when people like me are taking a statin and get NEGATIVE side effects, stop taking the statin and immediately the negative side effect stops, that isn’t nocebo effect. I wish it wasn’t true, especially in my case. My cardiologist and I have even tried Zenia, a drug that works differently on the body but still works to lower cholesterol and after 2 months of taking it, just like the other 4 different statins I took, I developed odd, increasing and debilitating joint and muscle pain to the point where I was calling my primary care doctor about pain management and thinking I had injured my knees, but then it spread to arms and shoulders to the point where lifting a cup mug was excruciating. So at what point does the pain level of these side effects that affect so many people and destroy their current quality of life justify 7 months, 7 years or 17 years longer life span? The pain caused made it so I no longer wanted to go outside, get out of bed, or live really. What kind of life is that? I think the medical profession should do more research into the real reason of stroke and death, and have the balls to come out against it. Processed foods and sugar. You are welcome to use me as a Guinea Pig.

Oh ouch. My preconceptions were rather well embedded and this jostling of them doesn't feel so good. Nice vid!

Thank God you're here because I've got exams in a week and my knowledge of medicine at this point consists entirely of KZfaq clips of House

I’ve been on Lipitor 80 mg for probably 20 years. I’m 66 years old. 12 years ago I had a heart Cath and had 40% blockage in my descending aorta. I’ve been taking Niacin every night on the advice of a friend who had 4x by pass. In two weeks I’m having a treadmill. It’ll be interesting to see how my blockage has progressed.

Thank you. This was excellent. I will be 80 in 4 months. I have been on statins for five years. With all the media frenzy about statins, I was worrying that I should stop. Your video explained it all clearly and my fears are gone. I will continue my statins and hope to be a lucky one. I'm already lucky to get to be 80.

When i hear doc putting "lifestyle factors" into equation, it almost always assures me i am in good hands. Those that have and spare time to know their patient, how does he eat, what is his job like, how is the sleep quality, does he have any other seemingly unrelated issues are doing the magic. Sometimes even chat like this can do wonders alone. It's so tempting to chase easy solutions without adressing the lifestyle issues that brings one to visit the doc in the first place.

This is the earliest I've been since my mum went into labour

According to this video, side effects are not caused by the statin, but simply by taking tablets. How does everyone know to report the same side effects when the tablets are labelled statins compared to when taking other tablets? And for the few people who apparently derive a benefit - wouldn't they be better off exercising instead? Shouldn't a healthy lifestyle be promoted ahead of pill-popping?

Been on statins for 12 years never had a check up since havent cant get an appointment with doctor most doctors all paid to prescribe

Greetings! I'm a septuagenarian who was put on statins and a week later I did not know the name of my dog I had for over five years. Joint aches, muscle aches, trouble sleeping and did not try a placebo, but doubt it would have the same effects. Thanks for your videos!!

First time I have seen your post and found it very honest, straight to the point and informative.Your not my doctor but after this short video as well as clearly and concisely giving the facts about statins you come across to me as honest and trustworthy which is a gift not many people have.I have subscribed to your channel on watching this because finding honesty without having an angle and constant bull crap is very refreshing. I am male 59 no cardiovascular problems and am relatively fit and healthy and taking a 20mg Atorvastatin statin as my doctor informed me after a blood test that my cholesterol level was 10.3 and with it being over 10% was required to inform me about the risks and possible use of statins good/bad in the future. For me any chance to increase my cardiovascular health with little or no side effects is a no brainer but my go to thought is, if this gives me more time with my wonderful wife, kids and grandchildren then I’ll take it. Thanks again

I am 82 and the dr wants me to go on a statin. However I do not want to.

I took statins for at least one year. I wasn’t told about side effects. I discovered from other people who suffered from the same pain it could be related. I thought it was related to my back, but after discontinuing the medication the pain went away. I tried them again at the lowest dose about 3 years later because of a Doctor friend’s recommendation. Again with the pain. I was miserable. That was enough for me. I am much more skeptical of bright eyed medical professionals now.

Man's wearing the Tom Scott scrubs

I had a heart attack a few years back, I had a stent fitted and was put on several medications. I watched a few videos about statins and decided to stop taking them. Then I went to see my doctor and told him I was no longer taking them, I was ready to have an argument with him, but he just said “I strongly recommend that you take them, I have been taking them for 40 years”. I could not really argue with that, so started taking them again 😂

This is best video I’ve watched on this subject. I still won’t take them, but appreciate your honesty and description.

I've been taking Rosuvastatin 20 mg daily for almost a year and a half, and I've had no negative effects at all, as far as I know. Different people have different results, but......**shrug**......I have no complaints.

The BEST explanation of how to evaluate claims made for or against a medication that I have ever seen! (I am an RNBSN.) Statistics are easy to misrepresent for someone's own gain, and statistics are hard for most of us to analyze so we can make the best informed decisions about taking them. Thank you!!!

Didn't you do a whole video on scrubs and why they shouldn't be red?

I monitor my metabolic syndrome (which are all okay): fasting blood sugar, HDLs, Triglycerides, waist size and blood pressure. I walk at least 2 miles a day and do not follow any particular diet but I eat balanced meals. I am 82 years old and do not have any medical problems, except for seasonal allergies. My vitamin D level was extremely low so I take 2,000 D3 units a day,

I can only share my personal experience with statins. I had a quintuple bypass at age 55 after a lifetime of not eating meat or chicken and very little dairy. (Go figure) I was placed on statins after surgery and was OK for 1 yr then bang! I started having night cramps that soon progressed to full blown 24 x 7 myopathy. To the point that I had to retire from nursing and change the way I lived. The serious effects lasted about 2 yr then started to ease up to just generalized muscle weakness. It took me a few more years to realize what the problem was. The problem was that I was on Omeprazole for years (and before that another blocker for many years) and steroids since my teens. They (and other drugs) also have the potential side effect of causing myopathy and can have a potentiating affect. (A different kind but in the end same same as an actual experience). Bottom line do your homework and don't expect the doctor to have your particulars in mind... they don't. Check out Statin Deception (Truth about Cholesterol Medicines) New Study!! on KZfaq

In the USA, according to one of my doctors, those of us who are diabetics and on Medicare always receive a brief discussion of the possible need at some future point to address high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I needed neither for a few years until I needed both; we tested. Thanks for confirming that we did the right thing.

I had a cardiac event 10 years ago. I was religiously taking my statins and other drugs for a year, but my mood and physical well being was low..I read about the 7 months life extending stats and I decided to stop statins and came back to "normal". This video made me reconsider my decision of stoping statins. I will go back to my doctor and restart my treatment. If I can add 2 or 3 years of life, it is worth it, 70 months, and I am golden.

I have been on 40mg daily of Atorvastatin and I have had NO side effects. What they have done is reduced my cholesterol readings by 40%, so happy about that!

I felt 85 years old, at 51, when on statins. I woke up tired everyday, and missed highway exits. No, thanks I need my little brain and quality of life to return. Do they preach at medical schools, "Do no harm"?

I see you’ve chosen to wear the blood red scrubs today.

Why does logical reasoning, empathy, and measured response seem like spotting a unicorn? Thank you, Dr Francis, for your commentary!

The overall cause mortality reduction is basically less than 1% if statins are taken for a number needed to treat on the 70:1 patients for 4 years of medication. This is basically insignificant, the best you could do is change your habits, stop smoking, cook your own food, move a little, drink water and most important of all sleep until fully rested. Humans would rather take an expensive medication that most likely give you side effects than dropping what's actually killing them.

The problem is quality of life ! The side effects are excruciating to some people! I got off my statin for two weeks and I feel awesome!

The most widespread _new_ way to think about statins: having your first thought about statins. The second-most common _new_ way to think about statins: wondering if you spelled statins correctly because autocorrect wants to change it to _stations._

My partner has been on three different statins and each one has made him feel infinitely worse and seriously compromised his mobility and mental health. It s a gruesome dilemma!

This video is exactly what I was looking for. As someone who has been taking statins for over 25 years due to high cholesterol that didn't respond to diet and exercise, (i am a trim and fit 72 year old), I was having doubts due to all of the KZfaq doctors who queation its efficacy. I clearly fall onto the group that stands to benefit the most from statins. Thank you for granting me peace of mind

Just stopped my statins after watching this video. Thank you. Now, I’m headed to the bedroom with my wife to work on my cardio.

I’m in the middle of a cardiac event. No mention statins yet. But, after what we witnessed with Covid in the US. I question everything about the medical field and big pharma. Thank you for the very well done video.

Excellent discussion! As a physician with a significant family history of CVD, and positive coronary calcium scan, I too have done substantial investigation into when statins should be prescribed. I have come to the same conclusion that you have so eloquently presented above. At 69 I am the last surviving member of my immediate family! All of my siblings and parents having died of, or with significant cardiovascular disease. I am a lifetime practitioner of daily exercise, have been on a low carb diet and statin for over 20 years, and weigh in at my weight as a senior in high school. One might ask, 'then why are you on a statin, you have a positive calcium score, so it didn't help'? To this I would point out that I am still alive, in perfect health...no hypertension, diabetes, pulmonary, or renal disease; nor ever having had a cardiovascular event. All of my metabolic numbers are perfect including cholesterol (which was elevated at age 40 prior to statin) and maybe most importantly my ApoB. All of us will develop some degree of atherosclerosis as we age and I suspect that I would have had some significant health issues absent my lifestyle and the use of a statin to further reduce my risk. Do I think everyone with an elevated LDL should be on a statin, no. But certainly many patients will benefit. This is something to be determined after a thorough evaluation with your health care provider. It is equally important to reduce carbohydrate consumption and exercise on a regular basis to improve health and longevity. Thank you for your excellent video. Dr. Jim Waller

Wow! Thanks for a great explanation. It is my belief that heath care is the patients responsibility. I believe the the Doctor is there to advise. I must also add .... you are there for those worst case situations. Thank you for your time and efforts.

I'm back! Dude! I have to challenge you big time on saying the side effects are caused by taking a "pill" and reacting to the act of taking a pill. My side effects were very pronounced and the soreness and aches and memory loss were quite real. My suddenly not knowing my dog's name was rather shocking. Also, my lying in bed and saying to myself "it really doesn't matter if I wake up in the morning" was absolutely unlike me. Best of luck and thanks for sharing, but maybe ponder softening what you said about the placebo.

After being prescribed simvastatin ten years ago, I developed dizziness, muscular aches and pains, peripheral neuropathy and prediabeties.

I'd like to see the Dr discuss the side effects on a cellular level. From what I understood stains disrupt the body's process of making coq10, Mk4 and Geranylgeraniol. What are the positive and negatives of this ?

Two years ago I was laid up with some bug for six weeks, fatigue, tiredness wiped out. Then after six weeks I had a chest infection for two weeks. After the chest infection my heart rate when standing went up to 180 bpm. This went on for a week then I woke with a pain in my chest and stomach and my heart rate dropped to 44 bpm, with escape and miss beats. I went to the Hospital they said this is normal. No way, your heart do not change like that suddenly. With the history of illness for the last Eight weeks. Some thing has gone wrong with my heart. But they will not listen. At the time I was doing keto diet, which lately have proved heart scaring. I firmly believe my heart problems is from this keto or I have had a virus hit my Heart. I'm 57 and before this I never had any heart problems. Now I'm fatigued, shortness of breath and sleeping a lot.

Thank you, so glad for this video. Just began a statin and am hopeful. Seven years is great success, seven months would be precious time appreciated!

I've been taking the Statins for 10 years now and I've never felt anything about it. It keeps my cardiovascular health where the doctor wants it and all I have to do is take a pill every morning. No big deal.

No idea what Statins are exactly but ever since I watched your ASMR video I've been watching your videos to relax. Very calming voice 10/10👍

I have been put on statins this week, by my GP - due to family history of cardiovascular disease. I have looked on line for more information about them. My husband suggested KZfaq. Having found only American video about them, I was glad I eventually found you! Clearly explained and very informative - American's seem to be obsessed with studies into statins and not much explanation! I am on Atorvastatin 20mg, so far no side effects but after only a few days I seem to have more energy? Many thanks for this video

Thank you for this. Nicely summarised. I'm 67, male and in the 'prefer not to take a tablet' group. It's worked fine so far, but I can't quite shake off the nagging fear I'm making the wrong decision. Food for thought.

Hello Dr. Crisis, hope you are well. I really appreciate you making these videos for us, when I'm sure you've been busy af.

Also, could you address the issue of relative risk vis a vis absolute risk? And the number to treat in order to achieve a positive outcome? Also, is there statistical correlation between lowering LDL cholesterol and preventing death from cardiovascular events, or strokes? I understand that there isn’t such proof of a correlation. Perhaps the whole issue of cholesterol and heart and cardiovascular disease is more complex? Maybe inflammation and insulin intolerance are also factors? Thanks for your help with sorting this out.

The side effects of statins is real. When I suffered my first heart attack, I was placed on Lipitor. Within weeks, my knees were in so much constant pain, I had to use crutches to get around. I couldn't even attend my cardiac stress test because of it. When I stopped taking them, my symptoms vanished within a week or so. I also suffered from leg and foot cramps. Therefore, let's all agree that certain people do deal with severe issues from the drug. Let me also make clear that my cholesterol values have always been perfect. Thus, the idea of using a drug to treat a problem that doesn't exist seems rather dubious and uncalled for. After eight years, I ended up with a second heart attack, got a bypass and placed on another statin. Same joint issues again, but not quite as severe. (It was a different type of statin.) I remained on them for over a year and gradually reduced the dosage. I got off them again many months ago. All of my lipid tests show perfect numbers including cholesterol. Statins may not be "poison" but they sure don't agree with me and since my cholesterol isn't really an issue, it just irks me how cardiologists prescribe pills in a manner that doesn't jive with blood test results. Believing that you're the lucky one who will get those extra six years is a bit presumptuous. Statistics can be manipulated in all kinds of ways that "prove" whatever they want to prove. Until the day doctors truly understand heart disease and its root causes, I'll bank on the notion that statins are probably bad for the majority of patients. My heart attacks had absolutely nothing to do with poor diet, lack of exercise, high cholesterol, smoking and so forth. If someone like myself can suffer from heart attacks and all I get for an explanation as to why this happened to me is "bad genetics" then it's clear how little cardiologists understand heart disease.

One topic I'd love you to cover: fasting. Recently intermittent fasting has been quite popular, but also there are youtube videos of people doing 7 day or longer fasts. It might be good to talk about some of the risks too.

You might consider a follow-up video on statin dosing. There are recent studies showing that you can lower LDL by more than 20% with only a 1/4 dose of common statins. Even someone who has decent numbers from diet and exercise interventions can still benefit from a very low dose. I think a lot of people would be very encouraged to hear that they could cut their dose in half if they are unhappy with the side effects, and might be more willing to stick with it for the long-term. The same is true for ezetimibe, a non-statin cholesterol lowering medication that is pretty effective at a mere 1mg dose. (Standard dose is 10mg.) Combining very low doses of both drugs should produce very significant effects with very low risk of side effects.

Would love to hear pro statin cardiologists comment on the research demonstrating significantly increased coronary artery calcifications(plaques) in patients on long term statin use.

One thing that is over looked is the micro sands in commercial table salt. They can scar the artery wall and it causes cholesterol to patch the area.

My cardiologist after my heart attack: "lets look at your risk factors: 1) weight?" "10 lbs over weight?" "crap.... 2) ever smoke?" "no" "crap.... 3) drink?" "teatotaler" "crap." "so what can I do now?" "your liver hates you, take a statin and don't let it happen again." (then proceeded to walk out in a huff.)

You are the only one who read "Stains". No one else made that mistake.

Excellent lecture. I have taken Statins for years after I had a stent put in, Yes sometimes i do get cramps at night and during the day, usually after i do a lot of walking and standing I like to bake and spend a lot of time in the kitchen but I always had cramps, even as a teenager.. I do take an over the counter external preventative for the cramps I am 86 years old now. My BP is very good about 125 over 70. I would not tell anyone to take something they don't need. The best advice i would give is look at your family medical history and see how long they lived and what they died from, that is a good way to see if you need statins.

Thanks for the clear explanation and statistics. My recent calcium agatston score was 333 so my GP wants me to start a statin. When I asked how we will know it's helping he said a repeat fasting blood test in 3 months will show a difference. P.S. the peeps claiming to get every possible side effect from the published lists don't know how they work. You're going to get one or possibly two, but that's it. Keep it real folks, getting old is hard enough without the attention craving social media darlings.

I've been following a Ketogenic lifestyle for almost three years...combined with 18 to 20 hours daily intermittent fasting and my consultant recently advised me to follow a plant based diet, because keto was extremely dangerous and would massively inflate my cholesterol levels. I asked him to which cholesterol he was referring... HDL or LDL? Long story short, I've maintained a weight loss of 103 pounds, reversed prediabetes and my recent A1C blood test scored me with a healthy 3.7 while my LDL cholesterol was at the lower end of the healthy range and my HDL was right on the money. Needless to say, I walked away from the consultant...who I believe is ten or more years behind the current science. Finally, I implore anybody to search for the new scientific evidence that shows that people with lower levels of cholesterol are at greater risk of death...highlighted by Dr Ken Berry.

This is brilliant. Thanks for making videos with such clear information.

This is the first non-quack explanation I have heard. Thank you for explaining the stats clearly.

I was prescribed a statin last week, at the age of 40, after an incidental finding from a CT scan. Great video and perspective.

What about the effect statins have on CoQ10, a lot of cardiologists don't even know about this which is concerning to me because the heart has some of the most dense concentrations of mitochondria and CoQ10 is a vital part of ATP production.

Thanks for this, my parents are on it and it's been a whole ordeal wading through online info.

Statins can really lower LDL! I firmly trust the science not the internet hype! Good info Doctor 😊

Thanks for the post. Went carnivore 10 months ago...blood pressure dropped in just 2 weeks and kept going down to normal. 1st time in 20 years. Dropped 45 pounds along the way too. Stopped snoring, inflammation gone, at 62 I am doing HIIT workouts, couldn't before, used to go to the chiropractor multiple times every year. Haven't gone back. Off ALL STATINS!! Praise the Lord!!

The Nocebo effect, brought to you by the Big Healthy, a consort of people that think ingesting anything artificial or in format of pills is basically bad.

Very good summary on statins! Although probably outside of the scope of a

The Fat soluble statins include Lipitor and Zocor and the water soluble include Pravachol and Crestor. Since fat soluble statins can easily enter the inside of the muscle cells, theoretically muscle damage should be increased with their use, as water soluble statins do not easily get into the muscle cells.

I scrolled past this video a few times, having never heard of statins. My brain saw: “Satins explained… (by a cardiologist)” “A new way to think about stains” “Statistics explained in 10 minutes”

I'm on a statin due to majorly high cholesterol (total level was a 350 at one point), which is most likely a heriditary factor. My dad died after his third heart attack (happened at home, and I was giving him CPR), and knowing all the trauma that caused, being on a statin has given me some peace of mind in terms of helping me bring my numbers to a normal level, even with eating fruits and veggies, and being physically active. Keep in mind that I'm only 42, and my dad had his his first major heart attack at 46, resulting in a quadruple by-pass surgery. High blood pressure, heart conditions, and high cholesterol all run high in my family. BTW, $1 for a month's supply of the drug? Dang! I had to pay $25 the last time I got mine refilled, and I know I shouldn't complain there, but since my insurance switched at work this past year, and it being a new "level" of drug, I have to pay for it. It sucks.

I think your "it's your choice; and, there are things you should be trying to lower your risk" sort of approach is what goes the longest way with people. Laying out the facts, connecting the dots with the patient, and helping them understand things how you see it is the most professional way you can act.

Diet. Not drugs. Lifestyle. Then live, don't worry be happy.

The FDA has issued a warning about the relationship between type 2 diabetes and statin use. Not mentioned here and really important to look at.

I wish you were my GP, my science teacher, and my explainer in chief I could travel around with and use when people ask me questions about medicine. I want you to replace our entire Covid task force spokespeople here in the U.S.A. Thanks for this video, especially the explanation using the example beginning at 3:35.

I will not be taking a statin , I have quit sugar and all processed foods , Keto/Carnivore diet for me and plenty of exercise.

Thanks for the clear, non biased information. It can be difficult to sort out the hysteria on both side of this issue!

Hi! As a dental nurse, could you do a video about how looking after your teeth is very important to your overall health? Thankyou!

Research Biochemist here - not selling any books or diet plans. I get paid to develop computational models of membranes although all my systems contain cholesterol so maybe that is a bias. I don't believe that statins work the way you think they do. Statins are an antibacterial defense strategy developed by fungi who develop most of our best antibacterials. In bacteria statins inhibit the mevalonate pathway that doesn't just make cholesterol molecules but also a molecule called menaquinone which is an essential molecule in the electron transport chain of bacteria (it plays a similar role to ubiquinone in eukaryotes like us). The mechanism of action to prevent heart attacks in humans probably has nothing to do with starving our livers of cholesterol causing an upregulation in LDL receptors - which is the generally held mechanistic explanation. Studies showing a link between reduction of LDL to reduce cvd have been disappointing. RCTs that have used nutrition to lower LDL (eg Sydney Diet Heart Study, or Minnesota coronary study) saw a decrease in LDL but not a decrease in heart disease, and an increase in all cause mortality. A more likely mechanism is when you take a statin, the bacteria in your gut making menaquinone also take it, and we can actually use menaquinone as an essential cofactor - Vitamin K2. So in those who have inadequate dietary sources, production by the gut biome may be why it is conditionally essential. Poison that production and those people become deficient. Vitamin K2 is involved in the homeostatic regulation of calcium ions in bones. Less K2 means more calcium in circulation which means more calcium available to stabilize arterial plaques. Selecting people who have already had a heart attack selects for subjects with unstable plaques - so it's not surprising that making them K2 deficient (statin therapy) would have an effect. It would be interesting to see a study where half the subjects supplemented K2. Speaking of selection bias, The side effects study referred to preselects subjects who have complained about symptoms, and thus those more likely to experience a nocebo effect. Finally cholesterol is an absolutely essential molecule. We clearly don't understand it's role in atherosclerosis if it's bad in fatty streaks, good in cellular membranes, bad in small dense LDL, good in HDL, absolutely essential as a precursor to sterol hormones like testosterone and vitamin-d, and benign in large buoyant LDL particles. If we are going to randomly inhibit it's metabolic pathway we had better know the mechanism of effect on cardiovascular disease and see if there is another way to have the same effect that doesn't starve the body of production of an essential molecule. Especially if a known side effect of inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase is increased incidence of type 2 diabetes.