statins sort of might possibly be antioxidants

JAMA – According to an article by Klein et al., age-related cataract formation has been thought to be associated with oxidative stress. In addition, statins have been shown to have antioxidant properties.

So, in the age-old tradition of testing two unproven hypotheses against each other, the researchers looked at data from the observational Beaver Dam Eye study. The data showed that use of statins was associated with a significant reduction in risk of nuclear cataract – the most common type of age-related cataract.

Possibly the reason behind the possible anti-cancer effects of statins (if such an effect actually exsists)? Interesting idea, especially since most anti-oxidant trials have failed to show any clinical effect in RCTs.

More on Fish Oil Flop

JAMA 6/14 – In March, the BMJ published a review (astutely blogged upon here) on omega-3 fatty acids, that basically showed no advantage to taking the stuff. One of the big hopes penned on the compound was the possibility of preventing some types of arrythmia.

Brower et al further crush this hope in an article in this weeks JAMA with the SOFA trial (seriously called that). They show that there is little to no anti-arrythmic effect of omega-3 supplementation on ICD patients. The study was an RCT done across Europe with over 500 patients over the period of a year.

Now, to wait for "that guy" who will write the editor saying the dose was too low, or the study period too short. Give it up buddy….