Page 10 - Winter2008

Caustic Commentary

Sally Fallon and Mary Enig take on the Diet Dictocrats

NEW STATIN STUDY: TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? publicity for JUPITER increases the number of people tak-
“A highly anticipated study has produced powerful evidence ing the statin, business analysts estimate that AstraZeneca’s
that a simple blood test can spot seemingly healthy people already $3.5 billion in annual sales for Crestor will double
who are at increased risk for a heart attack or stroke and over the next five years. And if the official guidelines are
that giving them a widely used drug offers potent protection changed to include CRP as a risk factor, seven to ten million
against the nation’s leading killers.” So begins a Washington more American adults could join the ranks of those “at risk
Post article (November 10, 2008) on the recently published for heart disease” and needing treatment with statins, which,
JUPITER study, whose lead author, Paul M. Ridker, claims to meet federal guidelines, could potentially mean $14 billion
provides evidence for taking the statin Crestor to lower a sub- per year for the drug company. P.S. Dr. Ridker, chief author
stance called C-reactive protein (CRP), considered a marker of JUPITER, co-invented the CRP test, with Brigham and
for inflammation. “Compared with those getting the placebo, Women’s Hospital holding the patent and patent rights having
those taking Crestor were 54 percent less likely to have a heart been licensed in part to AstraZeneca.
attack, 48 percent less likely to have a stroke, 46 percent less
likely to need angioplasty or bypass surgery to open a clogged THE CHOLESTEROL RISK FACTOR
artery, 44 percent less likely to suffer any of those events and One very interesting fact emerged from the media discussions
20 percent less likely to die from any cause.” If this sounds of the JUPITER trial—with JUPITER, cardiologists have fi-
too good to be true, you are right. Before you rush to your nally acknowledged that cholesterol levels do not accurately
doctor to have your CRP levels tested and jump on the statin reflect a tendency to heart disease. Dr. James Stein, MD, from
bandwagon, read Sandy Szware’s excellent analysis of the the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison,
study and its accompanying hype at junkfoodscience.blogspot. praised the study for exposing the fact that current therapeutic
com. Key points: the actual differences in outcome were in fact LDL-cholesterol levels are not only arbitrary, but are in fact
very small, with the difference in mortality between the statin a poor indicator of cardiovascular risk. “Most patients with
and control groups after nearly two years only 0.25 percent; heart attacks have normal LDL-cholesterol values,” he stated.
researchers stopped the trial early, just as the projected overall With the cholesterol theory crumbling, the industry is under
mortality of the statin group was about to surpass that of the intense pressure to come up with a new risk factor, and one that
placebo group; the selection process for trial participants was can be treated with the same statin drugs they have invested
so rigorous that it screened out eight of ten seniors recruited, so much money in. Enter Dr. Ridker and C-reactive protein.
for conditions ranging from inflammatory disease to “unstated Ridker has been pushing CRP as an important risk factor to be
reasons.” Even though participants were screened to exclude treated with statins for a number of years. But is CRP really
those with potential “compliance” problems, nearly 15 percent a risk factor for heart disease, or simply an associated factor?
of participants had stopped taking their pills after one year; and Studies indicate the latter. In fact, a National Panel on CRP
there was a 25 percent higher number of newly diagnosed cases Testing found no evidence to support the premise that treat-
of diabetes among the statin group compared to the placebo ing CRP will improve survival rates (www.urmc.rochester.
(270 cases versus 216 cases). But the world of cardiology is edu/pr/News/story.cfm?id=182). Elevated CRP levels are
breathless: “For the cardiology world, discovering a major associated with everything from anger and stress to arthritis,
new risk factor as well as an effective treatment is like hit- cancer, lupus, inflammatory disease, pneumonia, TB, oral
ting a walk-off home run to win the World Series,” says Dr. contraceptive use, pregnancy, heart attacks, surgery, trauma,
Eugene Braunwald at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital. And burns, strenuous exercise and many other conditions. They
the corporate world is rubbing its hands with glee. The stock are a marker for disease, not a cause, but since statin drugs
of AstraZeneca, maker of Crestor, climbed 45 percent after lower CRP levels slightly, you can bet that CRP levels will
JUPITER was halted last March. The lab test for C-reactive be the new cholesterol, to be feared, tested for and lowered
protein costs $50-$80 and Crestor costs $1,400 per year. If using the dangerous and expensive drugs.
10 Wise Traditions WINTER 2008