Interview: Duane Graveline, MD, MPH, author of The Statin Damage Crisis

Re-posting:

Author: GeorgeN (---.hlrn.qwest.net)
Date: 02-13-11 21:15

Here is an interview of Dr. Graveline by Dr. Mercola
[articles.mercola.com]

and a transcript of the interview if you'd rather read it, or if Mercola makes you register to see the videos:
[mercola.fileburst.com]

George

Jan. 2011. By Dr. Duane Graveline MD, MPH

Those of you who have been following my research during the past two years will know that I consider mitochondrial DNA damage as the ultimate result of statin drug intake.

Through mevalonate blockade, statins directly inhibit CoQ10 synthesis making mitochondrial damage and mutation all but inevitable. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of statins on dolichol synthesis makes repair of DNA damage all the more difficult because of dolichol's vital role in glycoprotein (glycohydrolase) synthesis.

Recently I have learned of another biochemical substance that also is implicated in this process of mitochondrial maintenance. The name of this biochemical is pyrroloquinoline quinone with the shorthand version being PQQ.

This substance has been discovered only in the past decade with its vital role in mitochondrial support having been documented only in the past several years. From what I have read of this substance, trying to get beyond the hype, it is worth considering for those of us who have been damaged by statins, whether by cognitive dysfunction, permanent myopathy, ALS like symptoms, or peripheral neuropathy.

Dietary sources of PQQ include many fruits and vegetables and egg yolk. Natto ( fermented soybeans ) has the highest concentration but parsley, green peppers, papaya, kiwi fruit and spinach are all good sources. PQQ is also available as a dietary supplement. Human trials and studies will need to be performed to support any claims for the benefits of PQQ supplementation.

One promotion for PQQ begins with, "The more functional mitochondria you have in your cells, the greater your overall health and durability," which is the premise of my new e-book, The Dark Side of Statins, so my interest in this substance is obvious.

The problem is that as we age, our mitochondria degrade and become dysfunctional. Compared with nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA is left almost entirely exposed to the ravages of free radicals. It attaches directly to the inner membrane where the mitochondria's furnace rages continuously.

Statin drugs directly hasten this process of mitochondrial DNA degradation by direct inhibition of CoQ10 and dolichol synthesis. The ultimate cause of statin associated adverse reactions is this progressive deterioration of mitochondrial DNA. PQQ is being touted not only for its extra anti-oxidant protection in the fight against free radicals but also for its potential use for mitochondrial genesis.

The challenge aging humans face is that methods to increase the generation of new mitochondria are difficult to adhere to. Up until recently, the only natural ways to stimulate mitochondrial genesis were calorie restriction or exhaustive physical activity.

You may have heard of the half-starved mice run to exhaustion and most share the opinion that this research, though interesting, is not applicable to humans. However PQQ research has shown some very interesting results. Experimental animals deprived of PQQ, in addition to stunted growth and development, reveal fewer mitochondria in their tissues. When PQQ is restored, normal growth and development returns and the mitochondrial number is increased.

This has led researchers to the effect of PQQ on certain genes having to do with control of the process of mitochondrial genesis. Their work has led to the promising idea that we now may be able to trigger mitochondrial genesis through the use of this dietary supplement. This seems almost too good to be true but at this time I cannot fault the research results and feel comfortable in at least bringing it to the attention of statin damage victims and their doctors.

When one compares the boundless energy of a child with the slow shuffle of a senior citizen it is easy to understand the impact of our mitochondria, for those in the muscles of a child are nearly all burning hot with boundless energy whereas studies have revealed some 95% damaged mitochondria in the muscles of seniors, their once energetic powerhouses now gone cold.

Many things contribute to the maintenance and function of mitochondria. The biochemical processes that we have evolved to derive our energy needs are remarkably tolerant, permitting us to more or less cover this planet of ours despite widely varying diets.

Just as we have recently discovered the adverse effect of statin drugs on mitochondrial DNA, now we have discovered still another substance vital to mitochondrial function. Not only does PQQ appear to bring us enhanced anti-oxidation to help fight the constant war against free radicals, it also promises mitochondrial growth.

Research support for this new concept of mitochondrial genesis is rapidly accumulating. In Pflugers Archives, 459(2); 277-89, January 2010, Lanza and Nair of the Mayo Clinic, using liver cells, showed in experimental animals that the influence of PQQ is on the pathways that previous research has shown to regulate mitochondrial biogenesis.

This extraordinary work on mitochondrial function was confirmed by that of Chowanadisai and others at the University of California, Davis, reporting in J Biol Chem. 1;285(1):142-52, January 2010.

Tao and others of the San Francisco VA Medical Center and UCSF used adult rat heart cells to demonstrate the ability of PQQ to preserve mitochondrial function and prevent oxidative injury. Their work was published in Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 16;363(2):257-62. Nov. 2007.

Thus solid evidence exists for the role of PQQ in both liver and heart cells and almost undoubtedly further research will demonstrate a similar effect in any tissue studied, for mitochondrial function is not tissue specific.

Duane Graveline MD MPH
Former USAF Flight Surgeon
Former NASA Astronaut
Retired Family Doctor

Erling thanks for posting this and the March 2011 update. I'm going to order PQQ to see if it helps with my mitochondrial dysfunction as a result of statin damage. I've been watching this for a while and have been on the fence, but Dr. Graveline's progress is certainly encouraging.

Jackie

“Dietary sources of PQQ include many fruits and vegetables and egg yolk. Natto ( fermented soybeans ) has the highest concentration”

I was unaware of pyrroloquinoline quinine, another benefit for me of eating natto food for the past five and half years.

Dean

Another Graveline link.

Lipitor-Associated Memory Loss: Analysis of 662 Cases of Cognitive Damage
by Duane Graveline, MD MPH, and Jay S. Cohen, MD

[www.townsendletter.com]

We lost a good friend this week to apparent and sudden heart failure at age 53. Trim, slim and otherwise apparently healthy, she went to sleep and did not wake up. Without autopsy there are no solid conclusions but I just wanted to say that she was on medication for mildly elevated blood pressure and cholestorol and had been for many years. (Statins?)

It was apparent to those around her that this once smart-as-a-tack lady, a Chartered Accountant, was as of late having trouble processing thoughts and retaining short term memory. (Statins?) She was one of the youngest people to graduate as a CA and near the top of her class.

As of late I would have to explain things to her multiple times and write them down so she would remember them.

Her loss was a shock and a blow for everyone that had the good fortune to know her. There were, for this relatively quiet homebody, some fifteen hundred folks at her funeral yesterday.

At an appropriate time I intend to ask her husband or son, both of whom I have broken bread with for some 25 years, if she was on statins. Now is obviously not the right time. If we are in a state of shock we can only imagine what her family is feeling and how they are coping.