Statins and Women: An Update

In the October 21 issue of Pulse of Health Freedom, a number of issues regarding statin drug use were examined. Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, who is gathering data at www.statinsideeffects.com, has indicated there is little or no evidence to suggest that statin drugs are of benefit for women.In an important update to the story, a study just published in the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies found that ads for Lipitor (atorvastatin) falsely stated the drugs’ potential benefits for women. The ads failed to make clear that research to date has proven only that statin drugs help prevent heart-related deaths among women with existing heart disease.
Of even greater concern is the drugs’ effect on women’s hormones. Dr. Decker Weiss, a naturopathic cardiologist on the staff of Arizona Heart Institute, has stated in radio interviews, “We are seeing hormonal imbalances in women taking statin drugs because statin drugs impact the body’s production of cholesterol, which is an essential molecule for hormone manufacture.”