Scientists from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences found that the link between ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL-C) and poor health outcomes, such as heart attack and stroke, may not be as strong as previously thought.
The research questions the efficacy of statins when prescribed with the aim of lowering LDL-C and therefore reducing the risk of heart disease.
Previous research found that using statins to lower ‘bad’ cholesterol could improve heart health outcomes, and this is reflected in the various iterations of expert guidelines for the prevention of CVD.
Statins are now commonly prescribed by doctors, with one-third of Irish adults over the age of 50 taking statins, according to previous research.
The new findings contradict this theory, finding that this relationship was not as strong as previously thought.
Instead, the research showed that lowering LDL-C using statins had an inconsistent and inconclusive impact on CVD outcomes such as heart attack stroke, and all-cause death.
In addition, it showed that the overall benefit of taking statins may be small and will vary depending on the patient’s personal risk factors.
The team says the message has long been that lowering your cholesterol will reduce your risk of heart disease and that statins help to achieve this.
However, this research shows that, in reality, the benefits of taking statins are varied and can be quite modest.
The researchers go on to suggest that this updated information should be communicated to patients through informed clinical decision-making and updated clinical guidelines and policy.
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The research was published in JAMA Internal Medicine and conducted by Dr. Paula Byrne et al.
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