Can an older man still build muscle while taking statins?

Seagal · Jan 26, 2025

Oxidative stress and food as medicine - PMC

There has been a sea of change in our understanding of the contribution of food to both our well-being and disease states. When one addresses “food as medicine,” the concept of oxidative stress needs to be included. This review interconnects the ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

But also
4. Non-dietary lifestyle factors influencing oxidative state
There are a host of other non-dietary factors that positively or negatively affect one’s oxidative state. Positive factors include, but are not limited to exercise (82), sleep (83), hydration (84), vitamin D level and mode of delivery (85), and loving relationships (86, 87). Negative lifestyle choices influence levels of toxin intake through smoking (88) and ethanol use (89), as well as prescription drug use or other substances activating the liver’s P-450 enzymes (22), psychological stress (90), severe life stressors (91), fasting (92), and other mild stressors (hormetic stress) which induce vitagenes resulting in increased endogenous antioxidants, as well as others (93).

And imo also genetics affecting both physiological and psychological stress response

Whatzup · Jan 27, 2025

Hyperlipidemia runs in my family. I've had high cholesterol since I first got tested as a teen. I was a skinny twig. In my 20s I started atorvastatin. I've been to cardiologist and carotid is fine, echo, stress test etc is fine. Recently I had a calcium deposit test and it came back as 0.
With your history and findings I would not think twice about getting on statins. You are 68 with these issues. I'd worry more about preventing vs how much muscle you can build. No point building muscle if you have a stroke. I've been on statins for over 20 years.

TestTube · Jan 30, 2025

Melody68 said:
Hi everyone, I'm a 68 year old on Testosterone Enanthate for one year, love the results on body composition. I've had heart issues in the past, with a successful bypass 13 years ago. I've always resisted statins, and have done well taking niacin the last 20+ years. I was doing really well with everything until I had a TIA on December 13; that started all the testing.

They said that I'm building up a lot of plaque all over the place, including in my carotid arteries, where the stroke doctor said my plaque buildup is five times what it should be for someone my age. My brain is also showing "white spots" which she says is evidence of TIA's in the past. I've never noticed anything.

She wants me to dump the niacin and "start" with 20mg Crestor, saying that I'm very close to a stroke and that this is my only chance to shrink the plaques. I've always resisted statins because they boost my Lp(a). She says at this point that doesn't matter, I've got to start with the statins.

Maybe she's right, I mean, who wants to risk ending up in a wheelchair or worse?

This is NOT a thread asking if you approve of statins or not, because I know it's a very contentious issue. What I do want to know is if it's still possible to build some solid muscle while taking statins? I'm not going to go gently into that good night; I've decided at this point that I'll lead a hyper healthy diet and exercise lifestyle and see if my body can heal itself of all this plaque. But can I still effectively lift weights while attaining a super low LDL of 1.8 (70) or less? Anybody doing it?

Was your blood pressure or hematocrit high? That alone shouldn't be a huge problem, but with clogged arteries, perhaps? Also, have you heard about the Dr Esselstyn diet? Worked for me. Also worked for Bill Clinton. It's a nasty diet, very difficult to follow. If you start eating kale like a rabbit as suggested by Dr Esselstyn, be sure to cook it for 5 minutes so you don't get kidney stones. He also suggests lots of oatmeal with oat milk. But statins - if I were in your shoes, I might take it (on top of everything else). Heck, I'd also be taking fish oil and whatever else might help. Good luck.

Vince · Jan 31, 2025

TestTube said:
Was your blood pressure or hematocrit high? That alone shouldn't be a huge problem, but with clogged arteries, perhaps? Also, have you heard about the Dr Esselstyn diet? Worked for me. Also worked for Bill Clinton. It's a nasty diet, very difficult to follow. If you start eating kale like a rabbit as suggested by Dr Esselstyn, be sure to cook it for 5 minutes so you don't get kidney stones. He also suggests lots of oatmeal with oat milk. But statins - if I were in your shoes, I might take it (on top of everything else). Heck, I'd also be taking fish oil and whatever else might help. Good luck.

did Dr Esselstyn die from cancer at age 72?

madman · Jan 31, 2025

Vince said:
did Dr Esselstyn die from cancer at age 72?

Dr. Esselstyn's Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Program | Make yourself heart attack proof

About the Book | Dr. Esselstyn's Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Program

Vince · Jan 31, 2025

madman said:
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Dr. Esselstyn's Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Program | Make yourself heart attack proof

About the Book | Dr. Esselstyn's Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Program

is that Jr?

madman · Jan 31, 2025

Vince said:
is that Jr?

TestTube said:
Was your blood pressure or hematocrit high? That alone shouldn't be a huge problem, but with clogged arteries, perhaps? Also, have you heard about the Dr Esselstyn diet? Worked for me. Also worked for Bill Clinton. It's a nasty diet, very difficult to follow. If you start eating kale like a rabbit as suggested by Dr Esselstyn, be sure to cook it for 5 minutes so you don't get kidney stones. He also suggests lots of oatmeal with oat milk. But statins - if I were in your shoes, I might take it (on top of everything else). Heck, I'd also be taking fish oil and whatever else might help. Good luck.

Yes the one TestTube was referring to.

TestTube · Jan 31, 2025

They're all still alive as far as I know, and old AF. Dr Esselstyn celebrated his 91st birthday last month.
His wife must be even older, and they still produce content on Youtube about every week along with their kids: Plant-Based with Jane Esselstyn and Ann Esselstyn

I've been trying to do the diet for the past 20 years, but I can't bring myself to it. I increased my oatmeal and oat milk consumption to about 4x a day and cooked kale for nitric oxide (of course testosterone boosts it quite a bit). I try to avoid oils and animal fats when I can, but I eat a lot of lean chicken and beef just once a week instead of 14 times a week.

Cholesterol is looking better, no chest pain. But at 50+ years old I'm also not trying to gain mass. I'm just trying to stay healthy, without losing too much mass.

Melody68 · Jan 31, 2025

These different diet plans come and go. Esselstyn reminds me of Dean Ornish, someone I heavily followed around 2005, likely to my detriment. At that time I suffered a lot of angina, and found that I felt better on the Ornish diet. The belief and hope was that you could reverse heart disease, and you DID feel better, but I think the answer was simple - I found that an empty stomach or near empty stomach reduces the incidence of angina quite dramatically (which makes sense because more blood is available for the circulation system vs. for digestion). How empty did I keep my stomach? I'm normally a 230-240lb guy; for the 2 1/2 years that I was on the plant based Ornish diet, I lost weight going all the way down to a shocking 168 lbs. I only had a fraction of the angina that I had, but something clearly was not right, and when I finally returned to my senses, I gained the weight, and the angina, back. I found it a lot of effort for little, if any, long term benefit. The solution for me was the bypass that I had in 2012 - never had angina since.

TestTube · Jan 31, 2025

Melody68 said:
These different diet plans come and go. Esselstyn reminds me of Dean Ornish, someone I heavily followed around 2005, likely to my detriment. At that time I suffered a lot of angina, and found that I felt better on the Ornish diet. The belief and hope was that you could reverse heart disease, and you DID feel better, but I think the answer was simple - I found that an empty stomach or near empty stomach reduces the incidence of angina quite dramatically (which makes sense because more blood is available for the circulation system vs. for digestion). How empty did I keep my stomach? I'm normally a 230-240lb guy; for the 2 1/2 years that I was on the plant based Ornish diet, I lost weight going all the way down to a shocking 168 lbs. I only had a fraction of the angina that I had, but something clearly was not right, and when I finally returned to my senses, I gained the weight, and the angina, back. I found it a lot of effort for little, if any, long term benefit. The solution for me was the bypass that I had in 2012 - never had angina since.

I don't disagree. I read the Ornish book and followed that diet from 2002-2004. A low calorie diet is probably the thing. Following the Esselstyn diet and many others, I always found my stomach empty because it all tastes like crap. Sometimes surgery or drugs is the right fix, in addition to a clean diet and exercise.

Melody68 · Jan 31, 2025

TestTube said:
I don't disagree. I read the Ornish book and followed that diet from 2002-2004. A low calorie diet is probably the thing. Following the Esselstyn diet and many others, I always found my stomach empty because it all tastes like crap. Sometimes surgery or drugs is the right fix, in addition to a clean diet and exercise.

TestTube, I'm thrilled that you're sympathetic to my suggestions, I was getting ready to get flamed from many sides.

I'm tried many alternative treatments in my life, with only limited success. As I've grown older I've watched many of my friends and others who have had to choose what treatments to pursue when facing ailments and disease. It seems to me that ultimately the ones that do the best are the ones who get a good doctor and then follow doctors orders, while advocating for themselves to make sure that they don't fall between the cracks.

In considering what statins to go with, it happens that by coincidence I had an appointment to see my rheumatologist about something else unrelated to the heart. He also took an interest in my TIA experience, and suggested that, if it was him, he would maximize his statin use not necessarily because of the effect on lipids, but because statins stabilize (and possibly shrink) plaques - something that he thinks is critical for me right now. He also offered up that his father in-law had serious heart disease early in his 40's, but followed doctor's orders, no matter what it was, and today he's doing well at the age of 87. I've heard that kind of experience before, and if I had to bet, I'd bet with the medical establishment. I know that may not be stylish, but for me, I don't feel like experimenting on my own anymore.

It was suggested that I use 20mg of crestor; I was going to take only 5mg, but I think I'll start with 10mg, and then if that feels OK after a few weeks, then I will likely go to the 20mg.

TestTube · Jan 31, 2025

If it were me I'd start with 5mg, wait a week or two, go up to 10, then 20 as soon as possible, and I'd be real careful with my diet and keep my hematocrit and BP down. I've been on beta blockers for 20 years or so, and my sister (67) has been on statins off and on. She thinks she got shingles from statins, but that's a small price to pay. Watch your blood sugar if you're on statins. TRT should help with that. You might feel off, but barring any serious side effects or reactions, if it were me, I'd do what the doctors say. I also wouldn't do any squats or super heavy lifts until everything evens out. Take it easy!

Melody68 · Jan 31, 2025

Yes, TestTube, I'll do that, or something like that. I've taken two 5mgs so far, maybe go to 10 tomorrow but then stay there a month and reassess. Thankfully, no problems with hematocrit and blood pressure. The blood sugar is a bit higher, I'll watch it.

Interesting comment on the weights. Like everyone, I guess, I sometimes will hold my breath with a heavier lift, or near the end of a challenging set. I didn't allow that to happen the last few times, but it makes you wonder if holding your breath ups your blood pressure, causing your heart to work harder, and possibly encouraging rupture of a sensitive plaque? I think I'll cruise with medium weights for a while and make sure I breathe evenly . . .

Vince · Jan 31, 2025

Bill Clinton Discusses his Plant-Based Diet

Forget about the Yahoo/Huffington Post video I blogged last week that featured Bill Clinton talking about his near-vegan diet. I’m now wishing it was never released, because it sort of stole the thunder from this new video with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that is a hundred times better. I hope you’ll do...

vegan.com

TestTube · Jan 31, 2025

Melody68 said:
Yes, TestTube, I'll do that, or something like that. I've taken two 5mgs so far, maybe go to 10 tomorrow but then stay there a month and reassess. Thankfully, no problems with hematocrit and blood pressure. The blood sugar is a bit higher, I'll watch it.

Interesting comment on the weights. Like everyone, I guess, I sometimes will hold my breath with a heavier lift, or near the end of a challenging set. I didn't allow that to happen the last few times, but it makes you wonder if holding your breath ups your blood pressure, causing your heart to work harder, and possibly encouraging rupture of a sensitive plaque? I think I'll cruise with medium weights for a while and make sure I breathe evenly . . .

I also have a habit of holding my breath on heavy lifts. I know squats can momentarily drive BP up to the 300/200 range or greater... and with inflammation and plaques that can break off, and stiff arteries, that's not great. This is why I try to follow the Esselstyn diet on top of everything else. Especailly the oatmeal. Something about beta-glucan helps a lot. Oatmeal with Pacific oat milk, a banana, and a little maple syrup, 4 times a day. If nothing else it's got fiber and it tastes good.