A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that statins may do more than just lower your cholesterol - it could also help prevent you from developing a gallstone.
If you've ever had a gallstone before -- or known someone who has had one -- you understand what they entail. Developing in the gallbladder, gallstones can move into the cystic duct, causing a great deal of pain. When this happens, the offending gallstone - and the gallbladder - is surgically removed. Over 80% of stones analyzed after surgery are completed of cholesterol. Since statins lower the amount of cholesterol made in and released from the liver, an investigation like this makes perfect sense.
The study examined over 27,000 participants who had previously undergone gallbladder surgery and were compared to over 100,000 healthy participants. The authors of the study found that individuals taking statins were slightly less likely to develop gallstones over time compared to those not taking a statin. However, this benefit appears to be noted only with taking statins long-term. In this study, the preventative benefit that statins exerted on gallstones was noted after a year or so of taking the drug. Although more studies are needed, the information appears promising -- especially for those of you at risk for developing gallbladder disease.
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Information About Statins:
- What Are Statins?
- Additional Statin Benefits
Article: Bodmer M, Brauchli YB, Kraehenbuehl S et al. Statin use and risk of gallstone disease followed by cholestcystectomy. JAMA 2009;302:2001-2007.
