Local doctors research if cholesterol pill can keep you healthy as you age
SAN ANTONIO – Groundbreaking research is taking place right here in San Antonio to discover the key to not just living longer but living better.
Doctors are looking at new ways to use a pill that might already be in your medicine cabinet.
At 79 years old, Eileen Lundin is sharp as a tack and wants to stay active.
“I'm missing my workout class,” she laughs during our interview.
The retired nurse has seen firsthand how quickly aging can take hold.
"And there's nothing worse than seeing people that I know, my age group, who are starting to head down the slippery slope to dementia,” Lundin says. “It's an awful, awful situation."
She was one of the first to sign up for a medical study called PREVENTABLE. It will find out if Lipitor, a common drug to lower cholesterol, can also help prevent disability or dementia.
"A major risk factor for dementia is cardiovascular disease,” explains Dr. Sara Espinoza from UT Health San Antonio.
She says we know how the drug works for middle aged adults. But very few, if any, studies have looked at how it impacts the elderly regardless of their cholesterol level.
"The knowledge that we gain with this study will apply for future generations so we can really tailor the use of medications to the right people,” Dr. Espinoza says.
UT Health San Antonio is one of about 100 sites across the country recruiting people over the age of 75. It’s a double-blind study: you don’t know if you’re getting Lipitor or a placebo, and neither does the doctor.
"You know, how did we get where we are right now with vaccines for COVID? It was people who volunteered,” Lundin says.
Researchers will follow her for the next four years, tracking any signs of disability or dementia.
"If you think about anybody you've ever known that had dementia - that will make you dial that phone number,” Lundin says.
If you'd like to participate in the study, the number to call is (210) 450-3333. Doctors say you don't even have to visit the pharmacy: all the pills are mailed straight to your door. Click here to learn more about the study.
By EMILY BAUCUM
