“I’ll take a quarter pounder, fries, and a statin to go, please.”
Crazy? Not really. In the American Journal of Cardiology, August 15th, 2010 issue the “MacStatin” strategy was introduced. A group of British Cardiologists suggested fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, offer a statin with their meal. How about that? A statin right next to the ketchup, mayonnaise, salt and sugar. Why not? People eat unhealthy meals and complete life compromising acts without a providers consult…so why
need a prescription and see a provider for a statin? The statin could be sprinkled in the milkshake, on top of the hamburger or on the French Fries.
The researchers compared the increase in relative risk of cardiovascular disease associated with total and trans-fat content of the meal to the reduction in the relative risk observed in a meta analysis of primary prevention statin trials. The authors were able to show the risk of a heart attack could be reduced by adding a statin to their high fat and high trans fat meal. The risk associated with a cheeseburger and milkshake meal can be offset with one statin tablet.
However, there are other concerns associated with high fat, high trans fat and high calorie meals that lead to further health risk…such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. So, it doesn’t eliminate all the risk; but, perhaps, lessens the initial insult to the system. We’d all be better off with a colorful salad, lean protein and water to go.
Ferenczi EA, et.al, Am J Cardiol. 2010 Aug 15;106(4):587-92.
Crazy? Not really. In the American Journal of Cardiology, August 15th, 2010 issue the “MacStatin” strategy was introduced. A group of British Cardiologists suggested fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, offer a statin with their meal. How about that? A statin right next to the ketchup, mayonnaise, salt and sugar. Why not? People eat unhealthy meals and complete life compromising acts without a providers consult…so why
need a prescription and see a provider for a statin? The statin could be sprinkled in the milkshake, on top of the hamburger or on the French Fries.The researchers compared the increase in relative risk of cardiovascular disease associated with total and trans-fat content of the meal to the reduction in the relative risk observed in a meta analysis of primary prevention statin trials. The authors were able to show the risk of a heart attack could be reduced by adding a statin to their high fat and high trans fat meal. The risk associated with a cheeseburger and milkshake meal can be offset with one statin tablet.
However, there are other concerns associated with high fat, high trans fat and high calorie meals that lead to further health risk…such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. So, it doesn’t eliminate all the risk; but, perhaps, lessens the initial insult to the system. We’d all be better off with a colorful salad, lean protein and water to go.
Ferenczi EA, et.al, Am J Cardiol. 2010 Aug 15;106(4):587-92.
