Study: Statins May Decrease Exercise Effects

A small new study suggests that taking a statin drug to lower cholesterol may reduce some of the positive effects of exercise. The study included 37 people who were overweight or obese. They had high blood pressure, large waist size or other factors that increased their risk of heart disease. They had slightly high levels of LDL cholesterol and did not exercise regularly. Researchers randomly divided them into 2 groups. Both groups completed a 12-week program of supervised exercise. One group also took 40 milligrams of simvastatin daily. After the 12 weeks, people who did not take statins showed a 10% improvement in their aerobic fitness. Those taking statins improved by only about 1%. Researchers also took samples of muscle tissue. They found that people who did not take statins had a 13% increase in activity by mitochondria.