“Statins” are documented as “the most prescribed pharmaceuticals in history”, and according to Dr. Timothy Marshall “are also one of the most controversial classes of drugs in use today.” A paper published in 2004 Mildred Seeling, M.D., provided evidence that magnesium functions in lowering cholesterol “by the same mechanisms as statin drugs”. In the body, enzymes are required for all metabolic activity, including the production of cholesterol. For cholesterol, the specific enzyme required is HMG-CoA reductase, which functions as the rate-controlling enzyme for the mevalonate pathway, the pathway that produces cholesterol and other isoprenoids. This is the enzyme targeted by the statin drugs. However, Magnesium, when present in sufficient quantities, also functions to slow down this enzymatic reaction. Thus, according to Dr. Marshall, “magnesium is the natural way that the body has evolved to control cholesterol when it reaches a certain level, whereas statin drugs are used to destroy the whole process.” The adverse events of statin use “include hepatotoxicity, diabetes, myopathies, insomnia, memory loss, confusion, peripheral neuropathy, impaired myocardial contractility, autoimmune diseases, rhabdomyolysis, erectile dysfunction, and mitochondrial dysfunction,” all likely associated with CoQ10 depletion. There are close to 900 published studies documented the adverse effects of statin medications, thus magnesium as an alternative to statin use is a valid, safe choice, that is void of negative consequences.
Marshall TM. J Am Physicians and Surgeons. Summer 2014 19(2)