Scientists at Imperial College London suggest that people in their 20s and 30s should be offered statins. Writing in the journal Circulation, they say a long-term study, focused purely on the relationship between cholesterol, statins and mortality, demonstrated that even modest reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) yield a “significant” survival benefit.
The research involved participants aged 45 to 64. However, the strength of the relationship between statins and improved survival rates – 28% – shows the drugs should be considered for all patients with high cholesterol, regardless of their age, the researchers said.
The 20-year project examined data from 2,560 men taking part in a randomised clinical trial to test the effects of pravastatin versus a placebo. All the men had levels of LDL higher than 4.9mmol/L but had no evidence of heart disease at the start of the study.
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