A new study suggests that statins help protect chest muscles, whereas aspirin contributes to chest muscle loss.
A new study suggests that statins may help reduce chest muscle loss in current and former smokers, while aspirin may be associated with increased chest muscle loss. The findings were recently published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal.
Many current and former smokers are prescribed statins to manage high cholesterol and aspirin to prevent heart disease. Research has shown that these individuals are prone to skeletal muscle loss, particularly those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
COPD is a progressive inflammatory lung disease that includes conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It can be caused by genetic factors and environmental irritants like smoke or pollution. Affecting more than 30 million Americans, COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide.
Investigating the Effects of Statins and Aspirin on Muscle Loss
This new study sought to determine if these common medications are associated with skeletal muscle loss. Researchers examined chest CT imaging data from the COPD Genetic Epidemiology (COPDGene) study to determine loss in pectoralis muscle area and pectoralis muscle density. This study included 4,191 participants who had reported medication and chest CT scan data for both COPDGene phase 1 and phase 2 visits.
“Current and former smokers have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and are commonly prescribed statins and aspirin to treat these conditions. By examining the impact of these medications on pectoralis muscle area and density, we found that statins can potentially reduce chest muscle loss, while aspirin may contribute to increased chest muscle loss,” said Toru Shirahata, M.D., a pulmonologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study. “By further examining the impact of statins and aspirin on skeletal muscle mass, health care providers may be able to better personalize treatments to improve outcomes for these patients.”
Reference: “Effect of Common Medications on Longitudinal Pectoralis Muscle Area in Smokers” by Toru Shirahata, Nicholas A. Enzer, Victor Castro, Joe Chiles, Merry-Lynn McDonald, Bina Choi, Alejandro A. Diaz, George R. Washko, Raúl San José Estépar, Samuel Y. Ash and Farbod N. Rahaghi, January 2025, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.
DOI: 10.15326/jcopdf.2024.0557
The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the COPD Foundation.
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“Declaration of Interest
AAD reports grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute(NHLBI) (R01-HL149861, R01-HL164824), USPT patent pending “NOVEL ASSAYS TO DETECT RESPIRATORY DISEASES AND DISORDERS.” JC reports funding support from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Heersink School of Medicine, Department of Medicine. BC reports grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Lung Association, and consulting fees from Quantitative Imaging Solutions. MNM reports grant from the NIH. SYA reports grant support from the NHLBI (K08-HL145118) and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, consultant fees from Verona Pharmaceuticals and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and ownership from Quantitative Imaging Solutions, a company specializing in imaging analytics in the lung cancer space. RSJE reports grants from the NHLBI, contracts with Lung Biotechnology and Insmed, a sponsored research agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim, consulting fees from Leuko Labs and Mount Sinai, and a patent pending in the area of lung cancer risk assessment using machine learning technology. He is cofounder and stockholder of Quantitative Imaging Solutions, and a board member of Fundación MVision. GRW has received institutional funding from the NIH, the Department of Defense and Boehringer-Ingelheim, and has received consultant fees from Vertex, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Pieris Therapeutics, Intellia Therapeutics, and Regeneron. He is a cofounder and equity share holder in Quantitative Imaging Solutions. His spouse works for Biogen. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.”
The use of statins is a problem, and this study is promoting statins. See my article, Statins and the Drugging of Everybody.
https://www.academia.edu/125514540/Statins_and_the_Drugging_of_Everybody