Statin drugs may lower deaths from flu: study

[steven johnson]

The risk of death in patients with flu was reduced by statins. Red yeast rice is an over the counter statin so it's easy to get. Be warned, though, mycotoxins have been found in some brands so caveat emptor.

I've taken red yeast rice when my statin prescription lapsed but buyer beware.

Patients taking statin drugs were almost 50 percent less likely to die from flu, researchers reported on Thursday in a study providing more evidence the cholesterol-lowering drugs help the body cope with infection.


The findings are compelling enough to justify doing controlled studies in which some patients are given the drugs deliberately and some are not, said Meredith Vandermeer of the Oregon Public Health Division, who helped lead the study.

Vandermeer and a team of researchers, including at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looked at the records of 2,800 people who were hospitalized with seasonal influenza in 10 states during the 2007-2008 flu season.
Overall, 2.1 percent of patients taking statins died, compared to 3.2 percent of patients not taking statins. That means patients taking statins were just under 50 percent less likely to die.

A few other studies also have suggested that statins may help flu patients by lowering inflammation.
Inflammation is part of the body's immune response -- a flood of chemicals and cells summoned to fight viral and bacterial invaders. It is also involved in heart and artery disease.

Statin drugs may lower deaths from flu: study

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. Flu: breathe steam with eucolyptus/menthol several times a day (towel over head)

also Echinacea capsules and vit C
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/echinacea-000239.htm

[Fridays Child]

2. Here's another yeast supplement that may increase immunity to flu.

EpiCor

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

3. Red Rice Yeast Extract sold in the US has the statins removed.

[steven johnson]

4. Mayo Clinic Letter -- Red yeast rice sold in the US still has statins. Any references?

Red yeast rice is the product of yeast ( Monascus purpureus ) grown on rice, and is served as a dietary staple in some Asian countries. It contains several compounds collectively known as monacolins, substances known to inhibit cholesterol synthesis. One of these, "monacolin K," is a potent inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, and is also known as mevinolin or lovastatin (Mevacor®, a drug produced by Merck & Co., Inc).

Red yeast rice extract has been sold as a natural cholesterol-lowering agent in over the counter supplements, such as Cholestin TM (Pharmanex, Inc). However, there has been legal and industrial dispute as to whether red yeast rice is a drug or a dietary supplement, involving the manufacturer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the pharmaceutical industry (particularly producers of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor prescription drugs or "statins").

Red yeast rice (Monascus purpureus)

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

5. Someone here had a link where the FDA had intervened on behalf on the pharma companies.

[Celebration]

6. well, statins increase vitamin D

It would be interesting if they included Vitamin D levels as a variable as well.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2075568/

A recent meta-analysis found that statin use was associated with fewer hip fractures (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.45 – 0.78) and improved hip bone mineral density <3>. In-vitro studies reveal that statins induce osteoblast differentiation <4> and inhibit osteoclast formation <5>, thus promoting bone formation. Perhaps one of the ways in which statins reduce fracture risk is by increasing 25-OHD levels. Few studies have looked at levels of vitamin D metabolites and statin use and they offer conflicting results <6-9>. There was concern when statins were first introduced that they would impair the formation of steroids dependent on the cholesterol synthetic pathway but it has been shown that vitamin D synthesis remains normal <10>. The mechanism by which statins increase vitamin D levels is not clear. Dedicated randomized controlled trials investigating statin therapy and vitamin D are needed.