Do Cholesterol Lowering Drugs Really Help?

Study done by the Johns Hopkins University, US, suggests that many people may not benefit from statins. It is because of our calcium levels and not cholesterol. While another new evidence has linked ­statins with severe depression and suicide. Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs that are prescribed to patients who have more than 20% chance of heart attack or stroke. After studying about 950 men and women, researchers found that statins may be helpful for patients who have calcification in blood vessels. Calcification occurs due to a combination of genes and ageing accompanied by poor lifestyle like unhealthy diet, smoking and lack of exercise. Calcium hardens the arteries thereby increasing the risk of hypertension, heart attack and stroke.

Michael Blaha, who led the study, said, “Our results tell us that only those with calcium build-up in their arteries have a clear benefit from statin therapy.”

Source-Medindia