Did you know that taking a statin while undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer increases the risk of skin damage?

Statins are the most commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, and in fact they are some of the most widely used drugs in the world. Common examples include Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor, and Lescol. Women who take one of these drugs while undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer are more likely to experience burns on the skin of their breasts.

Receiving radiotherapy as treatment for cancer usually produces what is known as “acute skin toxicity”. This means the skin gets damaged. The damage looks a lot like sunburn. The skin becomes pink or red in color. This is accompanied by itching, burning, soreness, and sometimes even peeling. These side effects can be very severe and upsetting for some women.

Research presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium showed that statins can increase the likelihood of suffering these skin side effects, and they speed up the progression of skin damage. This is a significant finding. Women over the age of 50 are most likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, and this is also the age group where statin use is highest. At this stage, researchers do not know if it’s the drugs that are causing the skin problems, or if having low cholesterol makes a person more prone to radiation-induced skin damage. Cholesterol is a repair molecule that your own body produces, and it’s found in some foods. Having low cholesterol would impair the ability of your skin to withstand damage and repair itself. 

In most cases, there are natural ways to achieve a healthy cholesterol level. Here are my recommendations:

Take care of your liver

It is vital to take good care of your liver as approximately 80% of the cholesterol in your body is made in your liver. If your liver is functioning optimally, you should have a healthy cholesterol level. Great ways to take care of your liver include avoiding trans fats, reducing sugar and carbohydrate intake, eating vegetables and herbs and spices. There is detailed information in the book Cholesterol: The real truth.  Taking a liver tonic  can make a vast improvement to liver health, and it is best to find one that contains B vitamins, milk thistle, selenium, taurine and turmeric.

Follow a low carbohydrate diet

Excessive consumption of carbohydrates is linked to Syndrome X, type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. When we consume foods such as bread, rice, pasta, cereals, potatoes and corn, all these carbohydrates are converted into sugar in the body. When we consume sugar, insulin is secreted from the pancreas to allow sugar to be used for energy, and over time the excessive carbohydrates cause our bodies to no longer respond to insulin and sugar is stored as fat. Any excess carbohydrate is then converted to triglycerides or LDL cholesterol. Following a low-carb eating plan can support weight loss and lower cholesterol and triglycerides. See I Cant Lose Weight and I Don’t Know Why for a low-carb diet plan. Berberine is a powerful plant extract that reduces cholesterol naturally. You can read about it here.

Antioxidants are important

Antioxidants such as selenium need to be included in your diet to help protect yourself against heart disease. Antioxidants can defend against the damaging effects of free radicals in our body that can damage our cell membranes, DNA, artery walls and the fats in our bloodstream. Vegetables and fruits are very high in antioxidants, and it is important to eat a large variety of these foods as they each have unique benefits. One convenient way to get more vegetables into your diet is raw juicing.

Try not to be too stressed

Many people underestimate how detrimental stress can be to their health. You may follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly, yet if you are experiencing a lot of stress you are likely to get sick. Stress hormones can cause inflammation throughout the body, cause weight gain, increase the chances of developing syndrome X and suppress the immune system. Stress causes cholesterol levels to rise as the stress hormone cortisol is made from cholesterol. Ways to reduce stress include meditating, yoga or deep breathing exercises. Tyrosine is great for reducing stress and anxiety.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

Reference https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/75/9_Supplement/P1-15-19

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