Women & Statins: Do You Really Need Them?

The reality of women taking statins may be far less pretty than the pictures painted in the advertisements you see.

Statins are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which plays a central role in the production of cholesterol in the liver. Your liver produces about 70 percent of total cholesterol in your body.

With the research that has been conducted in just under 10,000 women, there is ZERO evidence that a woman's risk of heart attack, heart disease or stroke are lowered by statins when you compare the results to women on a placebo.

These women were also healthy, but at a high risk for heart problems.

So what's with all of the hype? Given these results, if you or someone you love either takes a statin or is considering doing so, should she think again?

Correct.

The real answer to maintaining cardiovascular well-being?

FORGET THE MEDS.

Research has shown that a plant-based, Mediterranean diet lowers your risk for vascular disease just as much as any statin (if not more). This is true whether you are a man or a woman

Dr. Barbara H. Roberts, director of the Women's Cardiac Center at the Miriam Hospital in Rhode Island, discusses both the benefits and health risks of these popular drugs and the questionable science behind the research studies.