Its authors said there is little clear evidence justifying use of the daily pill for many who are not already suffering from some form of cardiovascular disease.NHS recommendations say millions of people who have not suffered a heart attack or But experts writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) said the drugs could do more harm than good, and offer a tiny benefit for people at low risk.Statins, which cost pennies each, work by lowering harmful cholesterol in the blood. The researchers excluded anyone who'd experienced cardiovascular problems, such as a heart attack or stroke, before starting statins.This left them with data for 165,411 patients (47% women), who had an average age of 62.They looked at the number of patients who'd failed to achieve at least a 40% reduction in their low density lipoprotein (LDL) "bad" cholesterol. The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Statins are safe medications, and people with or at risk for heart disease and stroke should take them as directed, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association. The disadvantage is that you cannot account for differences between people who do and do not respond to statins. 16 October 2019 • 11:30pm M illions of people are taking statins unnecessarily, a new study suggests. They also looked at whether there were any cardiovascular events like a heart attack or stroke. Non-responders had a slightly higher risk of future cardiovascular problems than responders (adjusted hazard ratio 1.22, 95% Over the course of 10 years on statins, 22.6% of non-responders would experience a cardiovascular problem, compared with 19.7% of responders.The researchers concluded: "Optimal lowering of LDL cholesterol is not achieved within 2 years in over half of patients in the general population initiated on statin therapy, and these patients will experience significantly increased risk of future [cardiovascular disease]. A new study reverses current thinking on giving statins to people over 75, finding the cholesterol-lowering drugs benefit people of all ages with minimal risk. "Although statins are commonly prescribed, serious questions remain about their benefit and acceptability for primary prevention, particularly in patients at low risk of cardiovascular disease. Statins are a scam: Learn the secrets of natural heart health with Natural News’ latest book 07/10/2019 / By Lance D Johanson Memory is impaired by prescription blood pressure meds, but pomegranate juice improves blood pressure and cognitive function EcoWatch 09 Sep 2020. The UK media reported the study accurately and included some helpful commentary from independent experts. Non-responders were more likely to have been prescribed lower strength statins. The study used the GP records database (UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink) to identify 183,213 patients who started taking statins between 1990 and 2016. A new study assessed GP records for more than 160,000 patients in the UK who'd had a cholesterol check in the 2 years after they started statins. Eligible patients had to have at least 2 cholesterol measures taken: 1 in the 12 months before taking statins and 1 in the 24 months after starting statins. Statins lower the 'bad' cholesterol that causes some cardiovascular diseases The UK media reported the study accurately and included some helpful commentary from independent experts. For example, 29% of non-responders were taking low dose and 66% medium dose, compared with 18% low dose and 76% medium dose among responders. The latest news on statins Lesley Dobson / 19 September 2017 Tweet. These patients had a slightly higher risk of future cardiovascular problems than those who'd had a good response.But this does not mean statins do not work. And those who did not respond to statins tended to be on lower doses than responders.Whether some people could be less responsive to statins needs to be looked into. Read our community guidelines in full For others they seem to cause muscle aches and pain. Millions of people around the world take statins to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke. A large body of evidence has shown that statins are effective in reducing so-called "bad cholesterol", which in turn can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. It shows that half of people on statins are not achieving the required 40% reduction in their LDL cholesterol levels. More on the agenda. The researchers also looked at the introduction of 2016 European guidelines recommending more people be given statins.We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism.We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. "The team said using statins for low-risk groups "may be an example of low-value care and, in some cases, represents a waste of healthcare resources".They added that research has found that statin use can be associated with a rare but serious increased risk of muscle problems, diabetes and haemorrhagic stroke.They pointed to a study which found a 65-year-old man prescribed statins, who smokes, has high cholesterol and blood pressure, but no heart disease, could lower his absolute risk of heart disease or stroke over the next decade from 38 to 29 per cent.However a low-risk 45-year-old woman who does not smoke, but has high cholesterol and slightly raised blood pressure, would see her risk drop from the already small 1.4 to 0.8 per cent.They said this risk reduction is so small it may not justify taking a daily pill.