Jialal and his colleagues also found marked reductions in two pivotal biomarkers of inflammation: C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6. While these markers are typically elevated in insulin resistance, a condition that precedes the development of diabetes, statin therapy reduced these levels by 36 percent and 44 percent, respectively.
"We showed a direct anti-inflammatory effect of statins in monocytes," said Jialal, who also is a staff endocrinologist at the Sacramento VA Medical Center.
Inflammation is not only predictive of heart disease, he said. But, it is involved in a complicated metabolic cycle of changes that results in resistance to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. Insulin resistance, in turn, is a precursor to diabetes.
Jialal said the current finding suggests that physicians can now consider treating metabolic syndrome with statins, a class of drugs with a proven safety record. In fact, six of the 25 participants on statin therapy could no longer fit the medical definition of metabolic syndrome by the end of the study.
A person is diagnosed as having metabolic syndrome if they have excessive abdominal fat, high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, an inability to regulate blood sugar (insulin resistance), and high levels of biomarkers of inflammation, such as CRP, which is associated with heart disease. While it affects 25 percent of Americans, it disproportionately affects particular age and ethnic groups. An estimated 36 percent of Mexican-American women battle metabolic syndrome, as do 50 percent of Americans over the age of 60.
While genetic factors contribute to the incidence of metabolic disorder, poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyl
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Contact: Carole Gan
carole.gan@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
916-734-9047
University of California, Davis - Health System
12-Sep-2006