On a daily basis our immune systems are constantly under pressure to perform a symphony of life saving duties. Multiple levels of specialized cells and chemicals orchestrate tasks like carry messages, serve as lookouts and summon killer cells. Pathogens, inflammation, even poorly digested food make demands for the attention of our often overburdened immune systems but the indignity does not stop there for some of us. Cholesterol lowering has been the "go to" treatment for many people with the unfortunate side effect of a suppressed immune system for many.
How suppression happens
It was mentioned in a previous article that one of the few benefits of statin drugs is that it reduces inflammation in the body and indeed it does. The problem is how it goes about achieving this "accomplishment". Your immune systems is a complex work of art. A significant part of the artwork involves being able to point out infection causing pathogens to the rest of the immune system. This is accomplished by creating inflammation with a chemical known as NF-kB. We must remember that inflammation, in and of itself, is not necessarily a bad thing. Without it our bodies would suffer greatly from a lack of an alarm system (inflammation) when burglarized by infection causing materials. Problems with inflammation arises when it becomes rampant and chronic due to what we do to ourselves through certain foods, drugs or environmental exposures.
Statin drugs inhibits our bodies from making NF-kB, the chief burglar alarm of the body, by the same process in which it inhibits production of CoQ10. At first thought it would seem like a good idea to lower inflammation and by most natural standards it is. It becomes problematic when it is done with a drug that ultimately makes the immune system weaker and less responsive.
Why is NF-kB suppression a big deal?
Would it surprise you to know that some pathogens like E. Coli and Salmonella actually proliferate by suppressing the body's ability to produce NF-kB? With no alarm they can terrorize the body. There are viruses that can do the same thing or can even increase the alarm rate which causes an over response and overwhelms the system. The point is that manipulating the process to produce NF-kB generally leads to adverse or undesired results.
It is also important to point out that low cholesterol levels put people at increased risk of acquiring and dying from infections. Cholesterol itself (specifically LDL the so-called "bad cholesterol") is noted for being able to disarm 90% of toxic bacterial pathogens. Infections can take hold of the body whether cholesterol levels fall too low or through suppression of NF-kB production. In 1992 a review of 19 studies of more than 68,000 deaths found that those with low cholesterol died from respiratory and gastrointestinal infections in higher numbers than those with what is generally considered normal to high cholesterol. In addition, a study that began in 1977 called MRFIT found that men with cholesterol levels at or below 160 were four times as likely to die from AIDS as men whose levels were above 260.
The bottom line
Manipulating the immune system to prevent it from doing all or part of it's job usually leads to disastrous outcomes. Medical science has done it for years whether it be intentionally (think organ transplants) or unintentionally you can never be sure of the results. One thing is sure and that is wherever a compromised immune system exist there will be a pathogen waiting to exploit it. At that point the question becomes one of survival.
Sources include:
The Great Cholesterol Myth (Bowden and Sinatra)
