Canadian Authorities Now Require that Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Advertisements Must Carry Warnings about the Dangerous Results of Taking these Drugs.
The popular cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs called statins have grown into a huge business; statins are the most widely prescribed class of drugs in history. Unlike the U.S., Canadian regulatory authorities require several additional warnings regarding the statin drugs. These hazards are clearly spelled out in the Canadian ads: Statins lower coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels and they raise Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] blood levels. The world needs to know that scientists have discovered a perfectly safe and natural alternative statin.
(PRWEB) April 3 2004--Unlike the U.S., Canadian regulatory authorities
require several warnings regarding statin cholesterol-lowering drugs. These
popular prescription drugs, including Lipitor and Zocor, lower coenzyme Q10
(CoQ10) levels and they raise Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) blood levels.
Low
CoQ10 is considered to be a primary cause of congestive heart failure, and
elevated Lp(a) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease that exceeds the risk
of LDL cholesterol.
"Because the U.S. does not require such warnings in
drug ads, few American doctors are aware of these hazards," writes Owen Fonorow,
director of the Houston-based Vitamin C Foundation. "Our doctors know that tiny
amounts of artificial statin drugs can damage the liver, but they are not aware
that these drugs also increase the risk of heart failure and the need for heart
transplant."
In May of 2003, two citizen petitions were filed with the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that the agency educate consumers
about taking CoQ10 alongside the prescription medication. According to Julian
Whitaker, M.D., who filed the petitions, statin drugs block the endogenous
biosynthesis of CoQ10. "A deficiency of CoQ10 is associated with impairment of
myocardial function, with liver dysfunction and with myopathids, including
cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure," Whitaker writes.
All
statins – natural or artificial -- lower cholesterol by blocking the same
essential enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. In 1985, Harwood, et. al., discovered that
ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is the human body’s natural HMG-CoA reductase
inhibitor, without the liver-destroying potential.
Fonorow
writes,"People need to know that there is a perfectly safe and natural
alternative statin - vitamin C." When vitamin C levels are low, the body
compensates and manufactures more cholesterol. When serum levels are high,
Vitamin C inhibits HMG-CoA reductase, which predictably lowers
cholesterol.
"It appears from the studies and reports we have read that
the proper dose of vitamin C is between 6000 and 8000 mg daily for 3 to 6 months
in order to achieve a substantial cholesterol-lowering effect in those with high
cholesterol," said Fonorow.
Unlike artificial statins, vitamin C protects
the liver, increases CoQ10 synthesis and reduces Lp(a) - which hundreds of
studies have identified as the true culprit in cardiovascular
disease.
It is estimated that 15 million
Americans take statin drugs.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/4/prweb116061.htm