Do Statins Cause Memory Loss?

Statins, the popular lipid-lowering medications, may be associated with memory loss in the first 30 days of use. This was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. However, don’t stop taking your medication yet as this could be a detection bias due to increased contact of patients with their physicians.

Statins work by lowering inflammation in the body which is a good thing. However, they also lower CoQ10, omega-3 fatty acids, carnitine, and other nutrients like selenium and vitamin E.

CoQ10 is a coenzyme in energetic pathways in the body. It is needed for brain and muscle function. These nutrient depletions may be responsible for brain fog and muscle aches that people experience on statins. If you need to take a statin, take at least 300 mg CoQ10 and 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids daily too. But, also remember that a healthy diet, like the Mediterranean diet, and exercise (60 minutes daily) can lower your cholesterol as much as a statin. The Portfolio Diet (plant sterols, soy, almonds, viscous fiber) is another great diet option – shown to reduce cholesterol 29.6%.