Does simvastatin affect mood and steroid hormone levels in hypercholesterolemic men? A randomized double-blind trial

Epidemiological and clinical studies have suggested that powerful cholesterol lowering may have adverse effects on mood and psychological well-being. Inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis by simvastatin (a hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor) may also reduce steroid hormone biosyn...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychoneuroendocrinology 2003-02, Vol.28 (2), p.181-194
Main Authors: Hyyppä, Markku T, Kronholm, Erkki, Virtanen, Arja, Leino, Aila, Jula, Antti
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Affect - drug effects
Anticholesteremic Agents - adverse effects
Anticholesteremic Agents - therapeutic use
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Cross-Over Studies
Dehydroepiandrosterone - blood
Depression - chemically induced
Diet
Diet, Mediterranean
Double-Blind Method
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hormones and behavior
Humans
Hypercholesterolemia
Hypercholesterolemia - drug therapy
Male
Men
Middle Aged
Mood
Placebos
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Randomized trial
Simvastatin - adverse effects
Simvastatin - therapeutic use
Statins
Steroid hormones
Testosterone - blood
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Summary:Epidemiological and clinical studies have suggested that powerful cholesterol lowering may have adverse effects on mood and psychological well-being. Inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis by simvastatin (a hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor) may also reduce steroid hormone biosynthesis. To explore if mood changes are related with steroid hormone levels, we designed a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial. The separate and combined effects of a Mediterranean-type diet intervention and treatment with simvastatin 20 mg/day PO for 12 weeks were studied in 120 hypercholesterolemic but otherwise healthy middle-aged men. Psychological functioning was assessed with questionnaires, and steroid hormone levels in blood were assayed radioimmunologically before and after the treatments. Simvastatin resulted in a statistically significant increase of depression and somatization without changes in the anxiety, hostility or aggression scores. Mood changes seemed to be unrelated with the statistically significant but clinically insignificant decline in serum testosterone levels and unrelated with the increase in serum dehydroepiandrosterone levels.
ISSN:0306-4530
1873-3360
DOI:10.1016/S0306-4530(02)00014-8