Statins and the Athlete

I have a little secret. I dont usually talk about it. If you go on a group ride with me I probably wont bring it up. If you know my healthy eating habits, or my vigorous exercise habits you probably wouldnt even guess. However, I have a little secret that I would like to share...I have high cholesterol!

Or so I did....

You see, its hereditary in my family, and at the fine age of 12 I was being looked at by many top Cardiologist. I would travel all over and go to John Hopkins Children's Center (the best in the nation for children cardiology) to see a doctor, monitor my diet, and get various test done. Because of my age, doctors were afraid to begin me on any statin medications. We tried Saturated fat diets, no more milk with dinner diets, exercise and anything you could think of. {I actually gave up cheese for lent one time and my cholesterol went down 40 points!} Then I started Questrin, which is the  GROSSest powder you could ever ingest. I drank this with my meals for four years.  When I was fed up with the chalky substance ruining my meals and the looks at restaurants when I poured my crack into my cup it was time for something else...A STATIN!

Statins are cholesterol lowering drugs that can help you minimize the bad stuff (LDL) and maximize the good stuff (HDL). Of course a drug cant do all...so healthy habits contribute immensely to this. But sometimes, you just get bad genes..Hence me.

Next we tried Crestor. I pulled my right quadricep muscle. You see statins have been linked to achy joints and muscles, which is not really good for an athlete. I got off it immediately and phoned my doctor. Then we tried Lipitor 10-20. It worked for a few months, but then I normalized. Then we tried Lipitor 10-40. OKay, but for as much as I worked out ( I use to play soccer very competitively) my HDL levels which are meant to go up with exercise were not budging. Finally we found Vytorin which claimed to raise the HDL levels and lower the LDL levels. My total cholesterol was normal, I felt okay, and so I have been on the drug for about 6 years now and never really thought much about it.

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the effect that statins actually have on your body and what cholesterol actually means. Here are links to two very good articles recently published:
* The Cholesterol Myth that could be harming your healthy
*Can Cholesterol drugs curb the effects of exercise
 but in summary:
1) Statins can prevent recovery and hence might actually be hurting my muscles with inflammation
2) Cholesterol is a total number of good and bad. Thus, some cholesterol is good isnt it? The ratio of numbers SHOULD be looked at rather than the total value that everyone so hardly desires to be <200.
3) Statin drugs have been linked to liver problems, dizziness, cancer and depression. {In fact my last TWO blood tests reported high levels of liver enzymes--There are many other things that can cause liver enzymes to be high, but this could be one}
Now why would we want that in our bodies??

The main point here is that if we want our body to feel good and act the way it should, shouldnt we put good things into it? Shouldnt we be exercising and feeling good about are strong bodies?

Now, being that I am a Professional Athlete and I am always seeking ways to be the best or learn how to be the best, I cant help but wonder, are statin drugs hindering my performance?? Has my 25 year old body out grew its 12 year old ways? Am I recovering fast enough?? 

Basically the only way to find out is to call it quits with the medication. I have spoken with my doctor who is supportive of the decision and has cleared me for safety.  My most recent blood results proved that my HDL is now the highest it has ever been (86), my total cholesterol is good, and my healthy habits are phenomenal. Of course my cholesterol could creep back in because it runs in my blood, but for now I am on a mission to prove to my body that it can be healthy without the medicine. I am hoping for the best and I will let you guys know the results in a few months. In the mean time, if I happen to win a Ironman Championship, you will know its because I am not taking Statins anymore and I could finally reach my potential! Ha!

I have put the bottle in the back of the cabinet and tonight I will enjoy my dinner without my little pill!