Women who consumed 2 or more diet drinks per day were 50% more likely to die from cardiovascular disease over the next 8.7 years compared to women who consumed few to none, 0-3 diet drinks per month, according to a recent study.

This was after controlling for other cardiovascular risk factors.

Increasing dietary magnesium intake by 100 mg per day is associated with a 22% reduction in the risk of congestive heart failure according to an analysis of 40 studies totaling more than one million people.

Dr. Kailash Chand, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association, believes that statin benefits have been “grossly exaggerated” and that there is a lack of transparency over the statins’ side effects,’ as he was quoted as saying in a Dec 2015 article published on the Daily Mail Online as saying.

Regarding a paper claiming that news stories about statin side effects caused people to die from heart attacks because they had stopped their statins [which I think is complete nonsense], Dr. Kailash Chand, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association, who is an outspoken critic of what he regards as industry-driven hype surrounding statins, “argued that in his view the conclusions of the study were ‘very misleading’ and detracted from the real issues surrounding statins - lack of transparency over the drugs’ side effects and the fact that their benefits have been ‘grossly exaggerated’” according to an article from Dec 2015 article published on the Daily Mail Online.

“With more than one million heart failure hospitalizations every year in the USA, the rapidly increasing prevalence of congestive heart failure is now described as an epidemic and it is likely that statin drug therapy is a major contributing factor,” according to a 2015 review paper by Prof. Harumi Okuyama from Nagoya City University in Nagoya, Japan, Peter H. Langsjoen MD, a cardiologist from Texas, and others who reviewed more than 20 statin drug studies done after 2004.

Statins can cause congestive heart failure by depleting coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and ‘heme A’ which reduces production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) according to a 2015 review paper by Prof. Harumi Okuyama from Nagoya City University in Nagoya, Japan, Peter H. Langsjoen MD, a cardiologist from Texas, and others who reviewed more than 20 statin drug studies done after 2004.

“In summary, statins are not only ineffective in preventing CHD [coronary heart disease] events but instead are capable of increasing [coronary heart disease] and heart failure,”  according to a 2015 review paper by Prof. Harumi Okuyama from Nagoya City University in Nagoya, Japan, Peter H. Langsjoen MD, a cardiologist from Texas, and others who reviewed more than 20 statin drug studies done after 2004.

“Statin-induced impairment in heart muscle function appears to be permanent, and even though patients may clinically benefit from discontinuation of the statin along with supplemental CoQ10, we believe that many years of statin drug therapy result in the gradual accumulation of mitochondrial DNA damage,” according to a 2015 review paper by Prof. Harumi Okuyama from Nagoya City University in Nagoya, Japan, Peter H. Langsjoen MD, a cardiologist from Texas, and others who reviewed more than 20 statin drug studies done after 2004.

“A prolonged decrease in mitochondrial CoQ10 would diminish the ability to protect mitochondrial DNA from free radical damage.”

L-carnitine reduces heart failure after a heart attack by 15% according to a meta-analysis of 13 studies.

However, there was a 21% chance that this difference seen between groups was due to random chance (P=0.21), in other words, it was not statistically significant, but this also means that there was a 79% chance the difference was due to the L-carnitine.

This means that it is likely that the L-carnitine following a heart attack also reduces the risk of developing heart failure.

L-carnitine given after a heart attack

• reduces all-cause mortality by 27%
• reduces ventricular arrhythmias by 65%
• reduces development of angina (chest pain) by 40%
• reduces heart failure by 15%
• reduces infarct size

according to a meta-analysis of 13 studies.

The minimum effective dose seems to be 2 grams per day (2,000 mg).

L-carnitine given after a heart attack

• reduces all-cause mortality by 27%
• reduces ventricular arrhythmias by 65%
• reduces development of angina (chest pain) by 40%
• reduces heart failure by 15%
• reduces infarct size

according to a meta-analysis of 13 studies.

The optimum dose seems to be 6-9 grams per day (6,000 to 9,000 mg per day).

In a 2-year study of patients with severe congestive heart failure, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) cut the risk of death in half according to a new study.

In patients given CoQ10, 9% died versus 17% in those given a placebo.

The study found that the risk of death was reduced 2.1-fold after adjusting for things such as age.