Short course: Statins ‘raise risk of muscle pain’

Statins 'raise risk of muscle pain'

LONDON: Around 75 per cent of patients who take statins to treat elevated cholesterol levels may suffer from muscle pain, scientists warn. Researchers at the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Copenhagen have now identified a possible mechanism underlying this side effect. Statin is a class of drugs which are used to treat high levels of blood cholesterol by way of inhibiting the liver's ability to produce cholesterol. "A well-known side effect of statin therapy is muscle pain. Up to 75 per cent of physically active patients undergoing treatment for high cholesterol experience pain," said Prof Flemming Dela from University of Copenhagen. The study was published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology.

'Motor skills tied to success in school'

NEW YORK: Poor motor function in childhood may be an important factor in predicting poor academic achievement in adolescence. In a study published Monday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers wrote that poor motor function may be an underlying factor in obesity and physical inactivity, both of which contribute to underachievement in school. Scientists studied 8,061 Finnish children in a database that included weight, height, physical activity, parent-reported motor function at age 8 and academic achievement at 16. Poor motor function, physical inactivity and obesity, the researchers found, contribute to academic underachievement. Poor motor function, in other words, may set a child on the developmental track to poor grades.

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