Hi Paddy, great piece. Very accessible for non specialists (like myself). What is the research telling us about the ability of statin therapy to address high cholesterol? Are they any downsides to statin therapy?
Hi Paddy, great piece. Very accessible for non specialists (like myself). What is the research telling us about the ability of statin therapy to address high cholesterol? Are they any downsides to statin therapy?
The evidence for statin therapy to lower cholesterol is very strong. Statins, like all medications, can have side effects but are typically only in a small percentage of people. To complicate matters even further, the research suggests that most of the side effects that people get are not even related to the active ingredient of statin therapy but from the fact of taking a pill. See SAMPSON trial and for muscle effects see https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-08-30-new-study-shows-muscle-pain-not-due-statins-over-90-those-taking-treatment. Hope that helps.
Hi Paddy, great piece. Very accessible for non specialists (like myself). What is the research telling us about the ability of statin therapy to address high cholesterol? Are they any downsides to statin therapy?
The evidence for statin therapy to lower cholesterol is very strong. Statins, like all medications, can have side effects but are typically only in a small percentage of people. To complicate matters even further, the research suggests that most of the side effects that people get are not even related to the active ingredient of statin therapy but from the fact of taking a pill. See SAMPSON trial and for muscle effects see https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-08-30-new-study-shows-muscle-pain-not-due-statins-over-90-those-taking-treatment. Hope that helps.