"Concerning your comment on, "Men Over 40 Should Think Twice Before Taking Part In Triathlons", I could not agree more with this statement. Being medically qualified myself [albeit on the veterinary side]. I have long been sceptical about the benefits of pushing oneself to the absolute limits in middle age.

"As regards statins my experience was similar to your own. In my mid sixties I went for a routine medical check up with my GP in the UK. I was informed I was slightly high on my blood pressure and LDL cholesterol. As a result I was put on blood pressure medication, also a statin on the basis of doctor knows best. I struggled on for about 5 years during which time I was undoubtedly having muscular side effects from statins and had blacked out more than once as a result of a sudden fall in blood pressure, this event most frequently taking place while on a long haul flight.!

"About 2 years ago as a result of reading an article by a professor of surgery here in South Africa in which he was expressing his own misgivings on the use of statins. I decided to come off the lot and just take a low dose aspirin cardio. For me, it was the right decision as I feel so much better. I would rather take the risk of feeling well now and maybe having my lifespan shortened by a year or two. I should add, like you I eat healthily and my exercise now consists of converting a small area of African bush into something resembling a garden! I also feel that genetics plays an important part in all this. What may appear to be a high reading for one may not be for another.

"One more important point. Very little R&D is currently underway by the major drug companies in developing a new generation of antibiotics at a time when some very dangerous drug resistant bacteria are appearing, MRSA and TB to mention two. Who can blame them when a clinician can be prescribing all manor of drugs to an increasing market of elderly patients who may be on them for twenty years rather than twenty days! One can see where the profit lies.

"I must look into Ezetrol which you mentioned. I had not heard of it before."

David Fuller's view Thank you for this informative email.

I am certainly not pretending to have any medical expertise but I have talked to enough friends, including subscribers, some of whom are also doctors, about statins to know that some people can tolerate them much more than others. They include my older brother who has been on them for longer than I have, and feels that he has no adverse side effects.

However, there are two things about them which I think everyone who is prescribed statins should be aware of. Plenty of doctors have described them as 'very heavy medicines', so I would have a look at side effects reported for statins and any other prescribed medicines on the www. A number of these are produced by the medical profession. Alternatively, postpone reading about side effects when prescribed medications, unless you are quite certain that they may be causing you problems. Additionally, plenty of doctors who prescribe statins and other medicines also receive payments from their manufacturers. This does concern me.

I share your view that, you "would rather take the risk of feeling well now and maybe having [your] lifespan shortened by a year or two." However, in my case the side effects of statins were cumulative and increasingly onerous. With hindsight, I should have stopped taking them after the first clear signs of problems which commenced very quickly.

May you continue to enjoy life, including your garden.