Inside Reading 1 Video Transcripts

Unit 2

Cholesterol Drug transcript

[Laughing and inaudible voices]

Gloria Kingstrom/Speaker 1: My levels1 were always within the normal range2. My

blood pressure has always been fine.

This is where you make some nice memories for me.

Broadcaster/Speaker 2: 52-year-old Gloria Kingstrom [background voices singing and

piano music] is healthy, but the early deaths of her father and three uncles from heart
attack have haunted her.

Gloria Kingstrom: Perhaps I was not going to be, you know, living a long time.
[Background inaudible voices]

Broadcaster: Now she thinks she will. In a landmark3 study, doctors, for the first time
ever, have used a cholesterol-lowering drug called a Statin to prevent heart attacks and
strokes4 in people with normal cholesterol levels.

Speaker 3: We were shocked5 to see that the benefit was as large as it is.

Broadcaster: The trial called Jupiter followed almost 18,000 patients with normal
cholesterol but elevated C-reactive protein or CRP, which indicates inflammation6 in the
body. The drug Rosuvastatin lowered heart attacks by 54%, strokes by 48%, and deaths
by 20%. The dramatic results may change the way doctors think about preventing
clogged7 arteries.

1
levels: the amount of something in a particular situation in a particular time. The levels here refer to
cholesterol levels in blood.
2
range: the limits between which something varies
3
landmark: something important
4
stroke: a sudden serious illness when a blood vessel (= tube) in the brain bursts or is blocked, which can
cause death or the loss of the ability to move or to speak clearly
5
shocked: a strong feeling of surprise
6
inflammation: a condition in which part of the body becomes red, sore, and swollen because of an
infection or injury
7
clogged: to block something or become blocked
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© Copyright Oxford University Press

Speaker 3: We've known that half of all heart attacks and strokes occur among
apparently8 healthy men and women with average or even low levels of cholesterol.

Broadcaster: In the study, doctors used a Statin because it lowers not only cholesterol
but inflammation. As cholesterol builds up in arteries it irritates the inside lining leading
to inflammation. A swollen plaque9 forms and can eventually rupture10 causing a clot
that blocks blood flow, which can result in a heart attack or stroke.

Speaker 3: The Jupiter Study shows that when you treat inflammation independent of
other risk factors for heart disease, you can reduce first heart events.

Broadcaster: So though Gloria Kingstrom's blood and stress test11 were fine, her doctor
measured her CRP level. She's been on Lipitor12 for six weeks now.

Gloria Kingstrom: Physically, you know, I don't feel different; emotionally, I feel much
better.

8
apparently: according to the way something appears
9
plaque: a substance that forms in the body and encourages the growth of bacteria
10
rupture: injury in which something inside the body breaks apart or bursts
11
stress test: a test that indicates heart function
12
Lipitor: a drug that fights cholesterol

©Oxford University Press. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

© Copyright Oxford University Press