WHAT IT ALL MEANS

“We’re back to knowing that the

more aggressive you are in punch-

ing down cholesterol, the more lives

you save,” says Weber, a cardiologist

at the SUNY Downstate Medical

Center in Brooklyn. Statins are the

drug of choice to do that punching

down. Not only do they lower LDL

cholesterol, they consistently

reduce the risk of having a heart

attack, suffering a stroke, or dying.

Then why did Vytorin, which

did lower LDL, not provide results?

“We’re learning that this is far more

than just an LDL cholesterol story,”

says Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist at

the Scripps Translational Science

Institute in La Jolla, California. “It’s

also about inflammation of the

arteries.” And Vytorin didn’t lower

arterial inflammation.

While it’s true that elevated LDL

The next stens

helps create unhealthy arteries,

heart attacks generally only happen

when fatty plaques in the arteries

break open, causing a clot to form at

the breakage site as the artery tries

to repair itself. Drugs to reduce

arterial inflammation could prevent

such cracking and therefore help

those people who need it the most.

For example, one Crestor trial

studied people who had low LDL

but high levels of a substance called

C-reactive protein, which is the

best-known indicator of inflamed

arteries. Those people had fewer

heart attacks after taking statins.

The result of all this is that heart

doctors now believe statins could

help as many as 40 million

Americans, far more than the 10

million or so who presently take the

drugs for prevention or treatment.

If you’ve been on vytorin or Zetia alone, don’t

panic, says Cynthia Jackevicius, associate

professor of pharmacy practice at Western

University o f Health Sciences in Pomona,

California. ‘T h ey weren’t shown to cause

harm,” she says. “ But now we know that

treating or preventing heart disease isn’t a

question of

whether

you should lower your

cholesterol, but how you lower it.” Here’s what

to go over with your doctor:

■ Generally, stick with statins

This is

especially true if you already have signs of heart

disease— high LDL, angina, or a previous heart

attack. You’ll likely benefit most from statins.

■ Question your Vytorin prescription

Jackevicius’s research found that as Vytorin

use increased, the tendency to take statins

decreased. “ You’re replacing a drug known to

prevent heart attacks and death with one that

doesn’t,” she says. That doesn’t make sense.

■ Check your CRP

High levels o f C-reactive

protein may indicate high heart attack risk and

suggest the need for medication.

■ Ask about statins even if your LDL

levels are OK

The Crestor research shows

you may benefit, especially if you have a family

history of heart disease or other risk factors.

BETTER HOM ES AND GARDENS SEP I EMBER

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Crain

F r o s t e d

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1 0 0 % n a tu ra l w h o le g ra in w h e a t. P o s t S h r e d d e d W h e a t. B r e a k f a s t n e v e r t a s t e d s o g o o d .