Issue 179 Item 1 Cholesterol Drugs Work Best in Evening

Researchers from England studied 83 patients who were taking either 10 milligrams or 20 milligrams of simvastatin, otherwise known as Zocor. They were taking the drug for primary or secondary prevention of coronary heat disease, stroke, or peripheral vascular disease.

Patients were randomized to take the drug in the mornings or in the evenings. Fifty-seven patients completed the trial. Most manufacturers of statins recommend the drugs be taken at night, but doubt has been cast on whether that is the best time.

Researchers found when patients switched from taking their nighttime pill to the morning, there were significant increases in total cholesterol and LDL, or the bad, cholesterol.
Authors of the study write, “Simvastatin is probably best taken at night because concentrations of total cholesterol and of low density lipoprotein are significantly greater when it is taken in the morning. This finding has implications for compliance in preventing coronary heart disease.”
British Medical Journal, 2003;327:788

FACT: Obesity doubles for women, more than doubles for men since 1985
The prevalence of obesity among Canadian women has doubled over the last 15 years, new data show. For men it has more than doubled. The fat isn’t just creeping up on Canadians, it’s galloping.
Canadian men continue to be fatter than women on average, but women are catching up. Forty per cent of men were overweight in 2001. From 1985 to 2001, the percentage of women defined as overweight increased to 26 per cent from 19 per cent. Health Canada guidelines define overweight as a body mass index of 25.