Ten years of U.S. data suggest cholesterol-lowering statins are giving patients a license to pig out.
Calorie and fat intake increased among statin users during the decade — an indication that many patients might be abandoning heart-healthy lifestyles and assuming that drugs alone will do the trick, the study authors said.
They said the goals of statin treatment should be to help patients achieve benefits unattainable by other methods, "not to empower them to put butter on their steak."
Statins may keep cholesterol low even if people eat less healthy food and slack off on exercise, but those bad habits can contribute to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and other problems that are bad for the heart. The study was published online Thursday in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Dr. Rita Redberg, the journal's editor, said the study "raises concerns of a potential moral hazard of statin use," in addition to already known potential side effects risks including muscle aches and diabetes.
"Statins provide a false reassurance," she said. "People seem to believe that statins can compensate for poor dietary choices and sedentary life." http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/statins-lead-patients-pig-study-23463139
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