There’s good news for the estimated 12 million American adults who take cholesterol-lowering drugs. They not only reduce your risk of suffering a heart attack, but researchers found they may also lower the chances of developing gallstones.
Up to 20 percent of people will develop gallstones at some point in their lives, and more than 700,000 Americans have their gall bladders removed each year, a procedure called a cholecystectomy. But Swiss researchers found that patients who take statin drugs for one year reduce their risk of developing gallstones by one fifth.
Most gallstones (80 to 90 percent) are classified as cholesterol and are formed from bile that is supersaturated with cholesterol. Statins reduce the amount of cholesterol in the body and appear to reduce the risk of gallstones by reducing the amount of cholesterol concentrated in the bile.
Researchers from University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland, examined the records of over 130,000 patients. “This large observational study provides evidence that patients with long-term statin use have a reduced risk of gallstone disease followed by cholecystectomy compared with patients without statin use,” they said in a statement. The risk started to diminish after five prescriptions, which was the equivalent to 12 to 18 months of treatment.
The study found that all statins reduced the risk of gallstones, but those taking high-dose statins had fewer gallstones than those on lower doses. The risk was higher for patients who took statins but were obese or took estrogen.
Other steps you can take to prevent gallstones:
• Watch your weight. Obesity is one of the biggest risk factors for gallstones.
• Eat a diet high in fiber. Both soluble and insoluble fiber reduce the absorption of chemicals that form gallstones.
• Avoid foods high in fat.
• Drink coffee. A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that drinking coffee lowers the risk of gallstones. Men who drank four or more cups a day reduced their risk by 45 percent.
• Exercise. Studies have shown that regular, vigorous exercise can lower risk.
© 2010 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
