Cholesterol Drugs Increase Risk of Diabetes; Diabetes Drugs Increase Risk of Heart Attacks

In the age of medical specialists,  we can find ourselves being treated as a collection of conditions.   Our whole health can get lost.   You may find yourselves taking a variety of medications,  perhaps one for cholesterol,  another for high blood pressure and yet another to regulate blood glucose levels. These medications each may be appropriate,  but they also may works against each other.
Two studies regarding cholesterol lowering medications and a diabetes drugs are cases in point.

Lipitor, Crestor and other statin medications taken to lower cholesterol also increase the risk of diabetes,  by about a 9 percent, according to a study that quantified a complication that doctors only recently discovered.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people taking Avandia, a diabetes medicine, needlessly suffer heart attacks and heart failure each month, according to confidential government reports that recommend the drug be removed from the market.

The statin study analyzed 13 studies undetaken after a 2008 trial from London-based AstraZeneca unexpectedly found patients given its drug Crestor had a 25 percent higher risk of diabetes. The new analysis involving more than 90,000 patients, published in the journal Lancet, shows the actual increase in diabetes is 9 percent, the risk is tied to the entire class of medications and the danger increases with age. As a class,  statins are the leading class of drugs sold in the world today,  with annual sales exceeding $35 billion.

Avandia, the diabetes medication,   was once one of the biggest-selling drugs in the world. Driven in part by a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, sales were $3.2 billion in 2006. But a 2007 study by a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist suggesting that the drug harmed the heart prompted the F.D.A. to issue a warning, and sales plunged. A committee of independent experts found in 2007 that Avandia might increase the risk of heart attack but recommended that it remain on the market, and an F.D.A. oversight board voted 8 to 7 to accept that advice.

Yes, medications may be approrpriate based on overall risk factors,  but they also are powerful chemicals that can negatively effect on our whole health.  A solution optimizing the power of nutrition to significantly improve whole health and prevent heart disease can be used in many cases --- either to avoid the intake of medications or significantly reduce the dosages required to achieve target health result. kardea nutrition - heart healthy and inspired - defining statin alternatives. kardea gourmet - great science, fantastic foods and cardiovascular health.

Kardea Nutrition Teams with The Cooking Cardiologist®

Kardea Nutrition™ is pleased to announce that it has teamed with Dr Richard Collins, a Mayo Clinic trained cardiologist, also known as The Cooking Cardiologist®, to advance an integrated nutritional approach promoting cardiovascular health and wellness.

“What you eat and how much you eat can significantly alter cardiovascular health,” say Dr. Collins, ”Certain nutrients can be very helpful. Others can be quiet harmful. The power of nutrition lies with the overall eating patterns and preferences.”

The National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association have long asserted that dietary choices are the foundation of cardiovascular disease prevent and health promotion. The NIH recognizes that lifestyle choices, emphasizing nutrition “compares well with many of the cholesterol-lowering drugs.[i]” For some, food choices allow individuals to maintain healthy cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels without the use of medications. For others, food choices reduce the medications required to achieve healthy levels.

In addition to serving on Kardea’s Board of Advisors, Dr. Collins will join Kardea’s founder, Robert Leighton, in co-authoring The Kardea Gourmet: Great Science, Fantastic Foods and Cardiovascular Health. This book will provide readers with a clear understanding of how inflammation and cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels interact to affect cardiovascular health. It then will review the impact of specific nutrients and overall diet. Gourmet chefs from noted restaurants around the country also will be providing the meal plans that deliver the right nutritional balance and heart healthy nutrients including Omega-3s, fibers, plant sterols and antioxidants.

Sections of the book, including recipes, are posted on kardeagourmet.com . Updates are being added on a weekly basis. Kardea is seeking input from interested readers.

Founded in 2007, Kardea Nutrition™ LLC was launched to empower people to manage their cholesterol, naturally and nutritiously. Kardea Nutrition™ has since extended its scope to enable the power of nutrition to advance overall cardiovascular health. It products are currently available at many retailers throughout the United States including Whole Foods , Nordstrom, drugstore.com and Hy-Vee. Products can also be purchased directly from Kardea’s online store.


[1] Your Guide to Lowering Cholesterol with Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, December 2005. www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/chol_tlc.pdf

From Heart Health Claims to Cardiovascular Health Optimizing Nutrition

Take a stroll through any grocery store, and you may become overwhelmed by the dizzying array of heart healthy products. Cereals, soups, super-fruit drinks, popcorn and chocolate, salad dressings, margarines and oils, yogurts and nutritional bars, pastas and many other food categories have products proclaiming their ability to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, fight inflammation and control blood sugar levels —all factors in the development of cardiovascular diseases. No food or specific nutrient rules in the quest for the healthiest. “Low in sodium,” “low in saturated fat,” “no cholesterol and no trans-fats,” “high in potassium or high antioxidants”, “with plant sterols”, “an excellent source of Omega-3’s ,” and “contains cholesterol lowering fiber” are only some of the pronouncements. Walk over to the vitamin aisle and you will find numerous supplements with similar associations to heart health: CoQ-10, Vitamin E, psyllium, niacin and red yeast rice are just a few.

Many consumers remain dubious. See full article at The Kardea Gourmet.

Kardea Nutrition for Natural Cholesterol Lowering