High levels of LDL cholesterol, popularly known as ‘bad’ cholesterol, have always been considered an important risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as a heart attack or a stroke, but this link is “inconsistent” according to a new study by researchers at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin, Ireland.
The results of the study, which have been published in JAMA Internal Medicine, also call into question the efficacy of statins – drugs used to treat hypercholesterolemia – when prescribed to lower LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease . These findings contradict previous research that suggested taking statins to lower LDL had a positive impact on patients’ health, specifically CVD prevention.
The benefits of statins vary depending on the patient
The authors of the new study have found that this relationship is not as strong as previously believed and that, on the contrary, the reduction of LDL cholesterol levels with statins had an inconsistent and inconclusive effect on the results of CVD, such as stroke heart, stroke, and all-cause mortality. Among his conclusions, he highlights that the general benefit of taking these drugs may be small and variable depending on the individual risk factors of each person.
“Our research indicates that the benefits of taking statins are actually mixed and can be quite modest.”
“The message has long been that lowering cholesterol will reduce the risk of heart disease and that statins help to do that. However, our research indicates that, in reality, the benefits of taking statins are varied and may be quite modest,” said the paper’s lead author, Dr. Paula Byrne of the HRB Center for Primary Care Research based in New York. the RCSI Department of General Medicine.
Scientists from the University of New Mexico (United States), the Institute for Scientific Freedom in Denmark and Bond University in Australia have collaborated in the research. The researchers have suggested that the results of the study be communicated to patients taking statins and taken into account in clinical decision-making.
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