Some say cholesterol lowering drugs do more harm than good: real or rumour?
Statins, the famous cholesterol lowering drug, continues to fuel controversy. This medication - which is taken to prevent heart attacks and strokes - is among the most widely prescribed medication in the United States. But some experts, writing for the British Medical Journal, say it can do more harm than good. And others believe it causes problems in the bedroom. Associate Professor Dirk Blom, who’s the division head of Lipidology at the University of Cape Town and Head of the Lipid Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital gives the facts. Professor Blom’s personal research interests include genetic disorders of lipoprotein metabolism. He has published in multiple peer-reviewed journals including The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a soft fatty molecule made by all animals. It is a member of the sterol family. Although plants also produce sterols, they cannot make cholesterol. Cholester...