Do statin drugs mimic a vitamin?

[Ralph Lotz]

[ofonorow]

Does Bill include the molecular diagrams?

I thought that the drug companies patterned statins after vitamin C after reading the 1986 Harwood study, which showed that vitamin C is an HMG CoA Reductaste inhibitor (statin)

Also, I think vitamin D (and vitamin C) work much better than statins, that is, when you take statins your atherosclerotic plaques invariably become "more complex".

Something tells me that vitamins C/D don't have the same issue.

[J.Lilinoe]

Oh please, I hope that statin drugs don't mimic any vitamin. How dreadful.

[Ralph Lotz]

[Seymore Spectacles]

I don't think the vitamin D mimic theory holds water. If you look at the vitamin D table (found by following Ralph's link), you'll see that the patients receiving a placebo had a much greater increase in vitamin D levels than did the statin users.

This alone seems to suggest the exact opposite of what is being suggested in that part of the article.

Drug Status

Took drug or inactive placebo

Vitamin D level (nanomole/Liter of blood)

No statin
Active 65.9
Placebo 38.4


On statin
Active 74.0
Placebo 50.0

Source: American Journal Cardiology 2007 October 15; 100(8): 1329.

Note that the increase for statin users went from 65.9 to 74. I believe this is about an 11% increase.

The increase in the placebo users went from 38.4 to 50. I believe this is about a 23% increase

[Ralph Lotz]

[J.Lilinoe]

Do vitamins mimic the hazardous side effects of statins?
Most likely no, so I hope the researcher's work was thorough.

[Ralph Lotz]