Statins and Bone Health

Statin drugs are of great benefit to those who need to lower their cholesterol levels. However, new research has shown that this type of medication could have a detrimental impact on the health of the bones.

The new research has suggested that a low dose of statins can actually be good for the bones, and help to protect against osteoporosis. But a dose at the higher end of the scale could actually have a negative impact.

Study Results

The study was conducted in Austria and took into account the experiences of a vast database of patients who were hospitalized over a two year period. 353,502 of these patients had used statin medication, and among this group 11,701 had an osteoporosis diagnosis. Of the 7,543,947 patients were not receiving statin medication, 68,699 of them had an osteoporosis diagnosis.

These results show that osteoporosis was three times mroe likely to present in those who took the statin medication. However, the results also showed that the patients who were taking 10 milligrams or less every day had a 60% reduced chance of developing the bone condition, with this risk rising as the dose got higher.

High Cholesterol Levels

When a person has too much cholesterol in their blood, then this is referred to as having high cholesterol levels. The most common causes of high cholesterol are eating foods that are high in certain types of fat, not getting enough exercise, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and being overweight. High cholesterol can also sometimes be a genetic condition.

 

The elevated presence of cholesterol in the body can become a problem as it works to block the blood vessels, and can therby increase the risk of cardiovascular problems and stroke.

It is unlikely that you wll eperience noticeable symptoms as a result of having high cholesterol, and the only way to diagnose it is through a simple blood test.

Natural Ways To Beat Cholesterol

Avoiding medication is generally going to be the best way to deal with a health issue if there is a simple and effective alternative. When it comes to tackling your cholesterol levels then there are several natural ways that you can approach this!

Include Healthy Fats

Including an ample amount of healthy fats in your diet can help you to tackle your high cholesterol levels. Studies have shown that healthy fats can improve levels of the healthy cholesterol that your body needs, whilst also reducing levels of the harmful cholesterol that you wish to tackle.

Monounsaturated fats are good to choose for this reason, with olives, almonds, cashews, pecans and avocados being excellent sources of this type of fat.

 

Polyunsaturated fats can also help, and have also been linked to combatting heart disease and type two diabetes. Seeds and fatty fish are good sources of this type of fat.

Avoid Unhealthy Fats

Trans fats are among the worst offenders when it comes to fats that are harmful for the body and raise cholesterol levels. Avoiding this kind of fat or seriously limiting your intake is a great idea for your overall health, as well as your cholesterol levels.

You are likely to find trans fats in fast-food, frozen pizza, and snack foods, such as cakes and cookies.

Eat More Fiber

Fiber is such an important aspect of overall health and is something you should aim to consume regularly throughout each day. It is essential for optimum digestion and helps the bacteria in the gut to thrive. Fiber also helps to keep cholesterol levels under control.

Fantastic sources of fiber that you should eat often are oats, fruit, lentils, peas and beans.

Exercise Often

Exercise has so many benefits that it is something that should feature prominently on your priority list!

 

As well as enhancing physcial fitness and helping to protect your mental health, exercise will also help to keep your cholesterol at a healthy level. Even low intensity exercise, such as walking, has the potential to help, so don’t feel as though your efforts are for nothing if you don’t feel like going too hard!

Quit Smoking

If you smoke tobacco then you likely already know that it’s not doing your body any favors!

What you might not know is that smoking increases your risk of heart disease, largely because it alters how the body is able to deal with elevated cholesterol levels. This is actually due to the impact that the tar from cigarettes has on your body, as opposed to the harm that nicotine can cause.

Many of the negative health effects of smoking can actually be reversed when you quit, so it’s always a good idea to consider giving up even if you have been a smoker for many years already!

Making Healthy Choices

Taking care of your body is one of the healthiest choices you can make for yourself, and in doing so you may avoid taking medications, such as statins, that can have unwated side effects!

 

Click to learn how upping your magnesium intake can help in the fight against osteoporosis!

 

 

References

 

1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-lower-cholesterol