A new study from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has revealed that the link between 'bad' cholesterol (LDL-C) and poor health outcomes, such as heart attack and stroke, may not be as strong as previously thought.<br /><br />The findings of the study were published in the journal 'JAMA Internal Medicine'. The research questions the efficacy of statins when prescribed with the aim of lowering LDL-C and therefore reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previous research has suggested that using statins to lower LDL-C positively affects health outcomes, and this is reflected in the various iterations of expert guidelines for the prevention of CVD.<br /><br />Statins are now commonly prescribed by doctors, with one-third of Irish adults over the age of 50 taking statins, according to previous research.<br /><br />The new findings contradict this theory, finding that this relationship was not as strong as previously thought. Instead, the research demonstrates that lowering LDL-C using statins had an inconsistent and inconclusive impact on CVD outcomes such as myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and all-cause mortality. In addition, it indicates that the overall benefit of taking statins may be small and will vary depending on an individual's personal risk factors.
