For heart disease patients on statin drugs, having very low cholesterol levels doesn't seem to make a big difference in heart problems compared to having slightly higher levels, according to a large study.

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Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

33

Community contributions welcome

33

Association Between Achieved Low-Density Lipoprotein Levels and Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease Taking Statin Treatment.

Cohort Study

Human

2016 Aug 1

The study looked at heart patients on statins and found no extra benefit from having very low cholesterol levels compared to moderately low ones, just like the claim said.

Contradicting (0)

0

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Association Between Achieved Low-Density Lipoprotein Levels and Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease Taking Statin Treatment.

Score: 33

DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.2751

Similar Assertions

People with heart disease who take statin drugs and get their bad cholesterol down to a lower range (70-100) are less likely to have serious heart problems than those with slightly higher cholesterol (100-130).

33

0

99%

A study of over 30,000 heart disease patients on statins suggests that aiming for very low cholesterol levels might not be necessary for everyone, even though guidelines recommend it.

33

0

87%

Taking statins to lower bad cholesterol by a certain amount can cut heart attack and stroke risk by about a quarter in the first year.

1

0

76%

Taking statins to lower your 'bad' cholesterol by a small amount can cut your chance of having a heart attack by nearly half—even if you're not at high risk for heart disease yet.

76

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72%

For people with very bad heart problems, having lower 'bad' cholesterol at the start of treatment might actually lead to a higher chance of dying over 20 years, especially if they're younger than 70 or taking cholesterol-lowering drugs.

31

0

72%