Cholesterol-lowering statins may also lower Parkinson’s risk

New research suggests that cholesterol-lowering statins may play a pivotal role in the development of new treatment for the progressive neurological disorder Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s is complex condition and different people may experience a wide variety of different symptoms. Common symptoms however include: tremors (shaking), rigidity (stiffness) and a slowness of physical movements (known as bradykinesia).

Statins such as atorvastatin (Lipitor) and rosuvastatin (Crestor) are currently taken by around 7 million people in Britain, and work by decreasing rates of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (‘bad cholesterol’) by reducing the production of LDL cholesterol inside the liver. It is dangerous to have high rates of LDL cholesterol as this causes the arteries to become narrower and harder (atherosclerosis), causing a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and coronary heart disease.

The history of statins can be traced back 42 years to 1971 when a Japanese biochemist named Akira Endo, working at pharmaceutical company Sankyo, pioneered the search for a drug that would help to lower-cholesterol.

Since 1971, statins have soared in popularity and scientists have unearthed other potential uses for the class of drugs, aside from their cholesterol benefits – which last year were shown to have reduced heart attack deaths by half.

For instance, studies have linked statins to helping treat erectile dysfunction, liver cancer, and have even been explored as beneficial for asthma patients.

The new study into statins comes from Taiwanese research published online yesterday in the journal Neurology.

After analysis of almost 44,000 patients, scientists at the National Taiwan University Hospital discovered that taking those patients who stopped taking fat-soluble statins such as simvastatin (Zocor) or atorvastatin (Lipitor) were approximately 58% more at risk of developing Parkinson’s in comparison to patients who carried on taking the statins.

Unlike water-soluble statins, it is generally believed that fat-soluble statins pass through the blood-brain barrier, helping to reduce inflammation and could even alter dopamine pathways in the brain that are associated with Parkinson’s.

The Taiwanese national health insurance program has forbidden doctors to prescribe statins to a patient once their target cholesterol level has been reached.

This policy will be scrapped Aug. 1, but has made it possible for this study to compare the potential difference in Parkinson’s risk in patients who stopped taking statins against those still taking them.

“This policy allowed us to see whether there was any difference in the risk of Parkinson’s in people who stopped taking statins compared to the ones who kept taking them, ” said study author Dr Jou-Wei Lin, a cardiologist at National Taiwan University Hospital.  “We are more glad than surprised to demonstrate the relationship. Our analysis is observational…and further clinical trials targeting the association between statin use and Parkinson’s disease are still needed.”

Dr Kieran Breen, from the charity Parkinson’s UK, however warned people who suffer with Parkinson’s should never treat themselves with statin medication unless they have been advised to do so by their own GP.

Eating fatty foods is bad for your heart?

We all know that fatty foods are bad for you, especially when it comes to heart disease, right, well yes and no.

In a study conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge 25,000 Britons aged between 40 and 79 it was found that those who cut their intake of unhealthy ‘saturated fats’ reduced their risk of heart problems however, it was also found that those whose diet included food rich in omega 6 (a fatty acid present in vegetable oil, nuts and seeds) significantly reduced their risk of heart disease.

Dieters are encouraged not just to cut out saturated fats contained in foods such as cheese and biscuits but to replace them with good fats contained in foods such as seeds and nuts.

The research suggests that it is the balance of cutting out ‘saturated fats’ and taking in ‘good fats’ that could be key in preventing coronary heart disease, which is the UK’s biggest killer.

The study claimed that whilst current advice to reduce our intake of ‘saturated fats’ was correct, people need to be aware of the need to eat foods rich in omega 6 which can be found in avocadoes, eggs, poultry, seeds and nuts.

The link between saturated fats, cholesterol and heart disease is already well established according to the department of health however this new study certainly suggests that we should be looking at including ‘good fats’ in our diet as well.

A contraceptive gel for men could be introduced in the near future

Men are already spoilt for choice when it comes to their contraceptive needs. In regards to condoms, Durex and Skins in particularly have a vast range of different condoms to suit his and her preferences. Some condoms are ultra-thin to the extent you can barely feel it on, some are designed to have a ‘tingling’ effect for maximum pleasure, whereas others actually come in weird and wonderful flavours such as chocolate. If all this isn’t enough, a durex play vibrations ring can be used in conjunction with a condom to add to the pleasure!

However now, scientists in America are claiming that they are in the development stages of formulating a gel for men that can be applied topically as a method of contraception. The gel is said to contain the male hormone testosterone and a synthetic progestin named ‘nesterone’. The two have been tested in the past, but only by injection, a pill form, or via an implant. In addition, these previous tests resulted in such adverse side effects such as effecting cholesterol levels and outbreaks of acne.

Preliminary tests indicated that the gel managed to keep sperm concentration to less than one million sperm per millilitre within 89% of the men involved in the study and who were given the combination of the testosterone and nesterone. The researchers say that this level is low enough to possibly avoid pregnancy with ‘minimal side effects’. This is compared to only 23% of the participants who saw similar effects after only receiving testosterone. It is though that typical sperm concentration is 15 million per every millilitre.

Dr Christina Wang from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbour-UCLA Medical Center, led the study and commented on the findings at the Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas, “Up until now, the responsibility for contraception has traditionally always been with the female. With these new contraceptive methods for males, the responsibility will be shared.”

However, men should bear in mind that the gel is still in the early stages of production and its success rates of preventing pregnancy will be much lower that condoms, which boast a 98% effectiveness, and also the female birth control pill is an incredible 99% effective. Dr Wang also added that the treatment ‘warrants further study as a male contraceptive.”