A new study published in The Journal of Nutrition provides evidence that lipid-lowering drugs may alter blood concentrations of certain vitamins and minerals.

Statins are one of the most frequently prescribed drugs, and their benefits in treating cardiovascular disease are well established. Like many therapeutic agents, statins are not without secondary effects such as muscle weakness and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition, a full understanding of lipid-lowering drug impacts on blood concentrations of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) remains limited and inconclusive. To bridge this knowledge gap, Wan-Qiang Lv (School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University) and colleagues examined the potential relations of lipid-lowering drug targets and overall lower LDL cholesterol on 15 blood micronutrients.

Using available genetic data, researchers conducted Mendelian randomization analyses to explore gene variants associated with molecular targets of LDL cholesterol-lowering therapies. The Mendelian randomization approach selects genetic variants associated with an exposure to make a causality inference about how change exposure alters outcome risk. As the alleles of special exposure-associated genotypes are assigned at conception, the result of the Mendelian randomization approach may not be influenced by residual confounding biases and reverse causation.

Genetically proxied inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (an enzyme involved in the synthesis of cholesterol, which is a target of statins), lowered blood concentrations of iron, zinc, magnesium, and potassium. Genetically proxied inhibition of Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (a protein that mediates intestinal cholesterol absorption, which is a target of the lipid-lowering drug Ezetimibe), increased calcium and vitamin A levels. And, genetically proxied inhibition of PCSK9 protein, which controls the number of low-density lipoprotein receptors, was found to increase vitamin D.

The results of this Mendelian randomization study demonstrate that genetic polymorphisms associated with lower LDL cholesterol are associated with higher blood levels of vitamins D and A. Using genetic proxies for lipid-lowering drug targets, statin and other lipid-lowering treatments may alter blood levels of certain nutrients.

References

Jing-Yang He, Xue Zhang, Kui Wang, Wan-Qiang Lv, Associations between Genetically Proxied Inhibition of Lipid-Lowering Drug Targets and Serum Micronutrients among Individuals of European Descent: A Mendelian Randomization Study, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 152, Issue 5, May 2022, Pages 1283–1290, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxac012.

Images via canva.com.

Read the full article

Kathy Beerman, PhD

Dr. Kathy Beerman teaches in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University. The author of several published articles, she is interested in research that focuses on the efficacy of a novel approach to treating iron deficiency anemia in rural regions of Guatemala and Ecuador. Dr. Beerman teaches an undergraduate nutrition course for health majors, as well as a course that prepares students to participate in a 10-day medical mission to Guatemala. Since joining the faculty at Washington State University in 1990, she has been the recipient of several teaching awards (the Burlington Northern Faculty Meritorious Achievement in Teaching Award, the R.M. Wade Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Instruction). More recently, she received the CAS Outstanding Achievement Award in International Activities (2017) and the President’s Award for Leadership (2018). Other scholarly activities include co-author of two introductory nutrition textbooks (Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food and NUTR).