Statins and Keto Production

[Jupiter]

I’m still taking a statin following a minor stroke 20 years ago. I’ve been on a Paleo type diet for a few years and my HDL-LDL-Triglyceride levels are excellent. I’m open to dropping the statins at least as an experiment, although my doctor is not as you might expect. I’m currently just trying to transition into keto but am concerned by cautions about the mix of statins and keto. For example, Dr. Joseph Mercola, no fan of statins, writes the following:

“ Statins Reduce Ketone Production

Statins lower cholesterol by inhibiting the enzyme in your liver that produces cholesterol (HMG coenzyme A reductase). Unfortunately this is the same enzyme that produces not only CoQ10 but also ketones, which are crucial nutrients to feed your mitochondria.”

Have others had difficulty with ketosis while on statins? Any advice? Thanks.

[VLC.MD]

Jupiter.
Nice name for a statin question.

Get to a predictable level of ketosis and then go off the statin for 3 weeks … see the effects on your ketones.

[Faramir]

Hey Jupiter,

I am 36 from Germany and taking statins since 15 years due to a genetic hypercholesterimenie ( don’t know the engl term).
In October 2017 I recognized that I have been loosing weight a lot and found out that I have type 2 diabetes.
I have started Keto right away and my
LDL and tri are close to normal, only my hdl is still too low but my sugar is great!
BUT: I am massively loosing weight!
I started with 122kg at 174cm in may 2017, and lost 20kg since then. I guess at least half of it is muscles, half seems to be fat water etc.

This can’t be good right? I am way thinner and first feld way healthier but know I feeI like I am loosing my energy.

Could this be something connected with statins and Keto? I guess I was loosing muscles allready before Keto due to the combination of diabetes and statins, any info on this topic?

Can’t find anything on the net, would love to get some advice or infos

Thanks

[sbstrum]

I am having a problem finding any peer-reviewed article indicating that statins reduce ketone formation. Maybe someone can find such articles assuming they exist. There is no issue that statins will ↓ CoQ10 levels and can lead to problems with CHF (congestive heart failure). What I think may be the issue here is that statins inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase and that the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) synthase and subsequently lyase enzymes are involved in ketone generation, not the reductase.

See the following