Page 13 - Spring2008

Caustic Commentary

MISLED FOR THIRTY YEARS of character, they insisted that his inquest examine the role
The recent publication of results from the ENHANCE trial, played in his death by the statin drug he was taking. “My

which found no benefit from a drug combination that signifi - brother had no history of depression and was in full-time
cantly lowered LDL-cholesterol but did not reduce plaque employment,” wrote his sister. “The family believe that Allan
formation in the arteries nor confer a projected reduction in did not intend to kill himself. My brother had had nightmares
mortality, has received widespread attention in the media, which were so terrible he could not distinguish between them
including an article “Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?” and real life.” Woolley had also suffered 15-minute blackouts
in the January 17, 2008 issue of Business Week. According when he could not recall his actions. The verdict blamed the
to the article, many researchers now question the wisdom of drug simvastatin (Zocor) for his death. The National Health
prescribing cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to the general Service in the UK has made a major push to ensure that doc-
population—drugs the pharmaceutical industry believes tors prescribe the drug, claiming that “major studies have
should be taken by 40 million Americans. Growing doubt consistently found that the benefits of statins. . . massively

among the ranks of medical professionals has emerged with outweigh the side-effects” (http://www.medicalnewstoday.
the accumulation of reports on serious side effects from cho- com/articles/94642.php).
lesterol-lowering measures: muscle weakness, neuropathy,
heart failure, memory loss, depression, fatigue, digestive MORE NEWS ABOUT VITAMIN D
disorders and cancer. Results of the ENHANCE trial have Scientists are reporting more good news about vitamin D.
led to the startling revelation that the studies on which the Researchers at the Harvard Medical School have discovered
FDA based its approval of statin drugs looked only at surro- that low vitamin D is associated with an increased risk of heart
gate outcomes, namely the lowering of LDL-cholesterol and disease; those who had high blood pressure and low vitamin
raising of HDL-cholesterol, as a substitute for a clinically D levels were particularly at risk. The study, which began in
meaningful endpoint, namely the prevention of heart attacks. 1996, looked at over 1700 people with an average age of 59.
Up to this point, drug makers have not had to show that statins Those with levels of vitamin D below 15 ng/ml had twice the
actually save or extend the lives of patients. Researchers are risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke compared to those
also re-examining the promotion of soul-numbing lowfat with higher levels (news.bbc.co.uk, January 8, 2008).
diets. “Dietary fat recommendations. . . may have led to sig- The pharmaceutical industry has responded to the

nificant and harmful unintended consequences,” wrote the spotlight on vitamin D with a twofold strategy: by supporting
authors of a January 22, 2008 article in the American Journal studies that look into potential harmful effects of vitamin D

of Preventive Medicine. Official government guidelines have supplementation and, in studies looking at benefits, by using

indeed misled Americans into abandoning nutritious whole the plant form of vitamin D—vitamin D —which is much
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foods such as butter, eggs and organ meats, foods universally easier and less expensive to manufacture but much more
recognized by traditional peoples as necessary for good health difficult for the body to utilize, and possibly detrimental. An

and optimal development of children. example of the latter is a study showing that administration
of vitamin D plus calcium to elderly patients resulted in a 23
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STATIN DEATH LINK? percent reduction of the risk of falling (Archives of Internal
Students and colleagues at University College School, Hamp- Medicine, 2008 Jan 14;168(1):103-108). An example of the
stead (London), were mystified last April when chemistry former is a paper suggesting that vitamin D supplementa-

master Dr. Allan Woolley, 53—described as “immensely tion can inhibit gene expression and lead to auto-immune
popular and inspirational”—was killed while standing on disease (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/94642.
the tracks at North Wembly railway station, holding a note php). “We have found that vitamin D supplementation, even
that read: “Just burn my wretched body without ceremony.” at levels many consider desirable, interferes with recovery
Family and friends were so convinced that suicide was out in these patients,” said J. C. Waterhouse, PhD, executive
SPRING 2008 Wise Traditions 13