Question

A large problem in America is high cholesterol, which leads to cardiovascular disease. To address this growing problem, a group of drugs have been produced which dramatically lowers circulating cholesterol levels. These drugs are the Statins. Many physicians and researchers see these drugs as a magic bullet to fix high cholesterol

1. What specifically do the statins do?

2. Is the increased prevalence of high cholesterol in our country a genetic phenomenon?

3. Some doctors think that we should put Statins in our water supply because most Americans need them, and they have no known side effects. Do you agree with this? Please support your answer with pertinent research.

Answer 1

1. Statins are the drugs of high sale all over the world. Action of statins is by compatitively inhibiting the HMG CoA reductase enzyme. The statins have the similar structure as this enzyme so can easily fit to the enzyme active receptor sites. This competition makes the pathway to reduce the mavalonate production thus inhibit or reduce the cholestrol production. This activity usually takes place in liver. If liver no longer produce the cholestrol makes the blood cholestrol level falls.

They will also increase the uptake of LDL cholestrol and decrease specific protein prenylation.

2. Genetic phenomenon of high cholestrol can be taken in consideration as the increased prevelance. Familial hypercholesterolemia is a form of inheritant type of cholestrol in most of the people. That is one whose parents have the history of high cholestrol they are likely to have it.These people are high risk in the blood cholestrol control when compared to others. It is not always meant that those people may have high cholestrol but have a genetic risk of getting them.

Some of the people might be obese genetically, they are also have the same risk as familial hypercholesterolemia.

Elevated blood sugar level people may can increase LDL cholestrol and decrease HDL cholestrol

Eating of diet with high cholestrol like saturated fat and trans fat are also high risk of devoloping the disease.

3. I totally cannot agree with this concept. As we know that the US health authority is putting forward the cancept of adding of statins in public water supply. The reseaches has shown that there is a detrimental effect on the health of normal people without high cholestrol or any heart disease, if they consume the statins eventually.

According to the studies conducted a professor says that the statins have a major side effect which may occur that is myositis, which is muscle wasting disease. Putting some medicines in the water supply is a medicalisation of human activity. I thorouhly believe that this concept is making the person into patient. Researches says that it is not good to take statins unless he is adviced to take so. It is better to remain person as himself but not the patient.