Statins Alter EFA's

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Statin treatment alters serum n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in

hypercholesterolemic patients.

JI, Hibbeln JR, Mackey RH, Muldoon MF.

Department of Medicine, Center for Clinical Pharmacology, School of

Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 4015 O'Hara Street, Old

Engineering Hall, Room 506, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.

Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2004 Oct;71(4):263-9.

Statins are highly effective cholesterol-lowering drugs but may have

broader effects on metabolism. This investigation examined effects of

simvastatin on serum levels of n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty

acids (PUFAs). Subjects were 106 healthy adults with

hypercholesterolemia randomly assigned to receive placebo or 40 mg

simvastatin daily for 24 weeks. Serum fatty acids were analyzed by

gas chromatography. Total fatty acid concentration fell 22% in

subjects receiving simvastatin (P<.001), with similar declines across

most fatty acids. However, concentrations of arachidonic acid (AA,

20:4n-6), eicosapentanoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic

acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) were unchanged. Relative percentages of linoleic

acid (LA, 18:2n-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (LNA, 18:3n-3), decreased

while AA and DHA increased (P's < or = .007). In addition,

simvastatin increased the AA:EPA ratio from 15.5 to 18.8 (P<.01), and

tended to increase the AA:DHA ratio (P=.053). Thus, simvastatin

lowered serum fatty acid concentrations while also altering the

relative percentages of important PUFAs.