Fast food meals like big Mac are harmful for the health. What do you see after you pick up your big mac at McDonald’s and go to the condiment bar? Ketchup, mustard, sugar, salt and etc. Can you imagin a sachet of statin at the condiment bar? A group of British doctors came up with this brilliant idea and published a study in the American Journal of Cardiology.
About the study
Dr. Francis and colleagues did a study, where
- They analyzed data from trials involving 43, 000 people
- Calculations were made of effectiveness of statins on junk food diet
The study concluded that
- The calculations revealed that a statin per day can neutralise the risk of cardiovascular disease linked to a daily intake of a 7-oz cheeseburger and a small milkshake.
- For people eating junk food, once in a while, may not benefit from regular intake of statin. But, it can help those who consume junk food frequently.
Statins are consumed by millions of people in UK to offset risk of heart attack and it help in reducing cholesterol. The proposal is to consume low dose statin like simvastatin daily to avert the risk of heart attack posed by high calorie junk food.
Dr Francis stated that
- Importantly, even partial adherence to statin therapy conveys a mortality benefit, suggesting that statins do not need to be taken daily to have some protective effect.
- It’s ironic that people are free to take...
as many unhealthy condiments in fast food outlets as they like, but statins, which are beneficial to heart health, have to be prescribed.
- It makes sense to make risk-reducing supplements available just as easily as the unhealthy condiments that are provided free of charge
Although, it looks straight forward that statins can reduce the risk of heart attack. But, statin has tendency to lower cholesterol by certain level that means you should be eating junk food within limits. Another thing is, apart from cholesterol, junk food have many other ingredients which are harmful for the body such as salt and calories, as stated by Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director at the British Heart Foundation. Third thing is, no drug comes without side effects. I am sure statins will have their own side effects, especially when taken for prolonged period of time.
I think the key to good health is still, watch what you eat, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle.