Common Heart Drug Taken by Millions Found Useless and Possibly Dangerous
- A landmark trial involving more than 8,400 heart attack survivors found that beta blockers did not reduce the risk of death, repeat heart attack, or hospitalization for heart failure in patients whose hearts maintained relatively normal pumping function
- Death rates, repeat heart attacks, and heart-failure admissions were nearly identical between patients who took beta blockers and those who did not, challenging a treatment practice that has been standard for nearly 40 years
- A follow-up analysis found that women taking beta blockers faced a 45% higher risk of death, repeat heart attack, or hospitalization for heart failure compared to women who did not receive the drugs, while men saw no meaningful difference
- Common beta-blocker side effects include fatigue, cold hands and feet, dizziness, depression, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, and low blood pressure; Older non-selective types like atenolol also reduce insulin sensitivity, which increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes
- Long-term heart protection may depend on addressing the underlying factors of cardiovascular disease by supporting cellular energy production, reducing seed-oil intake, supporting metabolic health, walking daily, getting regular sunlight exposure, and monitoring insulin resistance with the HOMA-IR test
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