Statins and Muscle Performance: Evidence for Metabolism Disturbance

[CoastWatcher]

It's well established that statins, prescribed to treat elevated cholesterol, can cause muscular myopathy: myalgia, myositis, and - most significantly - rhabdomyolysis. A study recently tried to determine if differences in exercise performance, muscle function, and mitochondrial oxidative capacity existed between symptomatic stain users (those reporting some degree of muscle pain), asymptomatic statin users, and a control group. The study was small, ten participants were enrolled in each group, and maximal incremental cycling tests along with involuntary, electrically stimulated isometric quadriceps muscle contractions were performed and muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle.

• VO2 peak, maximal work load, and ventilatory efficiency were comparable between groups.
• Both statin groups had a depressed anaerobic threshold compared to controls.
• Muscle fatigability revealed a prolonged relaxation time in both statin groups as compared to the controls.
• Mitochondrial activity of complexes (C) II and IV was lower in symptomatic statin users.
• Mitochondrial content was lower in both statin groups than controls.

Statin use attenuates substrate during maximal exercise performance, induces muscle fatigue during repeated muscle contractions, and decreases mitochondrial oxidative capacity of the muscle. Disturbances in mitochondrial capacity occur with statin use even in those patients without statin-induced muscle complaints.

"Statins affect skeletal muscle performance: evidence for disturbances in energy metabolism," The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 9 October 2017

https://academic.oup.com/jcem/artic...al-muscle-performance?redirectedFrom=fulltext

 

[Deleted member 16042]

Yo, Living evidence right here!

Wish I could get my muscle capacity back.

 

[CoastWatcher]

I dodged the bullet...

 

[Deleted member 16042]

I dodged the bullet...

Very happy for you!

 

[FeelingLost]

I 'm hoping can bring my LDL down with CoQ10 and Red Yeast Rice. I don't want to take statins but TRT has raised my bad and lowered my good even after cleaning up my diet and getting my A1c from 6.4 to 5.6 in 6 months.

 

[CoastWatcher]

I 'm hoping can bring my LDL down with CoQ10 and Red Yeast Rice. I don't want to take statins but TRT has raised my bad and lowered my good even after cleaning up my diet and getting my A1c from 6.4 to 5.6 in 6 months.

Congratulations on the A1c drop. So many guys struggle with that value.

 

[Vince]

If you have to take a Statin, you better take a good quality Coq10 to prevent muscle wasting.

 

[Will Brink]

I'd like to see if that would be offset, or partially so, with addition of CoQ10.

 

[Vince]

I'd like to see if that would be offset, or partially so, with addition of CoQ10.

My understanding is, you can also have a genetic variation that causes you to be a poor metabolizer of drugs that depend on CYP450. Some cannot tolerate any of the statins, even at 1/2 the regular dose. Muscle pain, digestive problems, just plain miserable. Lo and behold, most of the problem drugs are on the CYP450 list! Although most docs don't seem to be aware of the whole concept.

 

[Vince]

One of the strategies to consider in someone who required many months or years to develop statin-related muscle symptoms is to simply take periodic "vacations" from the drug, e.g., take off 5 days every month, even more powerful if CoQ10 is part your program.

Alternatively, Crestor and Lipitor, and perhaps Vytorin, can be used every other day. The benefits appear to be preserved but with marked decrease in muscle aches.

 

[Deleted member 16042]

I 'm hoping can bring my LDL down with CoQ10 and Red Yeast Rice. I don't want to take statins but TRT has raised my bad and lowered my good even after cleaning up my diet and getting my A1c from 6.4 to 5.6 in 6 months.

Taking red rice yeast is essentially taking a statin. https://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-m...-alternative-not-harmless-either-study-says#1

No statin drug is without "side effects", and cycling different varieties will not change the same basic mechanism which interferes with the mevalonate pathway of your cells.

Taking CoQ10 is ESSENTIAL, I find this presentation helpful and enlightening. Please note his theme of getting his heart patients off statins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gOZqJkQVtU

I find the website title "greenmed" unfortunate, it has hippie alternative connotations, but this webpage is the best clearing house of NIH/pubmed and more studies on statins I have found. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-ingredient/statin-drugs

I just don't want what happened to me to happen to you if you are taking statins.

 

[Will Brink]

My understanding is, you can also have a genetic variation that causes you to be a poor metabolizer of drugs that depend on CYP450. Some cannot tolerate any of the statins, even at 1/2 the regular dose. Muscle pain, digestive problems, just plain miserable. Lo and behold, most of the problem drugs are on the CYP450 list! Although most docs don't seem to be aware of the whole concept.

Most likely why you see improvements in some using CoQ10 and not others. But, in a study like that a statin + CoQ10 group would have been very useful.

 

[Vince]

Most likely why you see improvements in some using CoQ10 and not others. But, in a study like that a statin + CoQ10 group would have been very useful.

When a buddy of mine sent me this video, I started getting my Coq10 levels checked.

Peter Langsjoen, MD discusses why we should take Coenzyme Q10
Here is an excellent video by Dr. Langsjoen, he's a huge CoQ10 proponent.
https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...-MD-discusses-why-we-should-take-Coenzyme-Q10

 

[Tommy Wall]

On statins for years and beside Q10 I also add selenium and vit k

 

[FeelingLost]

Taking red rice yeast is essentially taking a statin. https://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-m...-alternative-not-harmless-either-study-says#1

No statin drug is without "side effects", and cycling different varieties will not change the same basic mechanism which interferes with the mevalonate pathway of your cells.

Taking CoQ10 is ESSENTIAL, I find this presentation helpful and enlightening. Please note his theme of getting his heart patients off statins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gOZqJkQVtU

I find the website title "greenmed" unfortunate, it has hippie alternative connotations, but this webpage is the best clearing house of NIH/pubmed and more studies on statins I have found. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-ingredient/statin-drugs

I just don't want what happened to me to happen to you if you are taking statins.

Thank you Blackhawk, On my last TRT phone consult with the Doctor statins were discussed. I really didn't want to go there yet if I could find another way like maybe Vince's Ketosis diet or something else I don't know I am so new to all this and what is available. The Dr suggested the CoQ10 and Red Yeast Rice. He did say many of the statin drugs are made from Red Yeast Rice, but they were Super Concentrated from that product.

It does seam many on TRT experience lower HDL and higher LDL with no change to the diet. I wonder what others do to fix that besides going into ketosis.

 

[Deleted member 16042]

It does seam many on TRT experience lower HDL and higher LDL with no change to the diet. I wonder what others do to fix that besides going into ketosis.

Though this does not pertain to being on TRT, seems my genetics are towards lower HDL. I have tried a number of things and noticed modest positive effects (maybe 10%) on HDL from HIIT and low rep heavy weight training, dropping Omega 6 oils (with the exception of eating nuts), and raising monounsaturated and saturated fat intake proportionally in terms of fat types ingested, and higher fat intake in macro level. Whereas I used to have a pretty high carb diet, though ate very little to no refined carbs, when I am on 40 carb/40 fat/20protein, my HDL level and ratio are slightly better. I do have ongoing mildly elevated LDL however.

Things that did nothing to help HDL level/ratio: Additional endurance exercise, high dose Niacin.

 

[Matt Leiser]

When looking at my last set of bloods (higher LDL and lowered HDL plus raised Triglycerides) and trying to make sense of the results I came across this video regarding the findings of LDL as a risk factor for Heart Disease. After watching I decided to try diet first before heading for a statin. It is long but an excellent presentation. I go for blood work in the next few weeks so will see how I do. I did add CoQ10 to the regimen about 6 weeks back.

The Cholesterol Conundrum
https://youtu.be/fuj6nxCDBZ0

 

[SoCal Guy]

With mortality is an endpoint, the only population of humans that benefits from statins are males with *documented* previous heart attacks. NO other population benefits when mortality is the endpoint.

NO one else should be on a statin.

Great talk with Dave Feldman showing how you can easily manipulate/falsify your cholesterol results – in effect, showing that they are meaningless since they don't control for diet the few days before the test:

Useful if you're at risk of being blackballed for a "pre-existing condition."

Cholesterol drugs are a scam that makes billions by hurting millions.

 

[Tommy Wall]

For someone that has family hypercholesterolemia I don´t think you can do without statins. Personally I will have 300 in tot cholesterol even if I only drink water for a month. High HDL may not be as good as we might think it is. A high HDL doesn´t mean better health. The best as I understand it is to be somewere in between. There is an indicator that is more important than LDL namely Remnants. Which can be tested by simple blood test.

I am not a doctor!

 

[Vince]

For someone that has family hypercholesterolemia I don´t think you can do without statins. Personally I will have 300 in tot cholesterol even if I only drink water for a month. High HDL may not be as good as we might think it is. A high HDL doesn´t mean better health. The best as I understand it is to be somewere in between. There is an indicator that is more important than LDL namely Remnants. Which can be tested by simple blood test.

I am not a doctor!

I'm told people with too high of HDL levels, normally have a lot of non-functional HDL. Cleveland Heartlabs will start testing HDL for functioning and non-functioning next year.