Study Finds Limits on Statin’s Benefits

Statin drugs may not help people live longer unless they already have heart disease, a new study concludes. The new analysis combined the results from 11 studies. They included more than 65,000 patients. Statins reduce LDL cholesterol and inflammation. They are known to reduce deaths in people with heart disease. But the people in these 11 studies did not have known heart disease. They did have a high risk of developing the disease. People were randomly assigned to receive statin drugs to reduce cholesterol, or fake pills. Researchers looked at medical data for an average of about 3.7 years. The journal Archives of Internal Medicine published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it June 29.