Statins Block the Benefits of Exercise
After we posted two articles (Part 1 and Part 2) on cholesterol and statin drugs, we came across a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that found the popular statin drug, Zocor, actually blocks the benefits of exercise and in some cases actually made the participants LESS fit than before!
Statin use has been linked to skeletal muscle destruction and impaired mitochondrial function. Researchers wanted to find out the effects of simvastatin (Zocor) on cardiorespiratory fitness and skeletal muscle mitochondrial content in response to aerobic exercise.
Participants were divided into an “exercise only” group or an “exercise plus statin” group and completed a 12-week aerobic exercise program. The study found the exercise only group increased their cardiorespiratory fitness by 10 percent and increased their mitochondria content by 13 percent. In the exercise plus statin group, cardiorespiratory fitness increased by only 1.5 percent and DECREASED their mitochondria content by 4.5 percent!
What Else We Have To Say: If you remember from our cholesterol and statin articles, mitochondria are like little batteries in your cells that produce energy. The less mitochondria you have, the less energy you will have. If you do not exercise, take statin drugs or even worse, do not exercise and also take statin drugs, you will lose mitochondria and may develop fatigue and congestive heart failure. If you are currently taking a statin drug for high cholesterol and want to lower your cholesterol naturally, we have strategies listed at the end of this ARTICLE.
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