For people without prior heart disease, taking statins lowers their risk of dying from heart problems and even from any cause, without increasing the risk of dying from other reasons like cancer or accidents.
Scientific Claim
Statin therapy reduces vascular mortality by 12% per 1.0 mmol/L LDL cholesterol reduction and all-cause mortality by 9% in individuals with no prior vascular disease, with no increase in non-vascular mortality.
Original Statement
“In participants with no history of vascular disease, statins reduced the risks of vascular (RR per 1.0 mmol/L LDL cholesterol reduction 0.85, 95% CI 0.77–0.95) and all-cause mortality (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.85–0.97)... There was no increase in the risk of non-vascular causes of death (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.88–1.07).”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The RCT design and large sample size allow causal interpretation of mortality outcomes. The confidence intervals exclude 1.0 for both vascular and all-cause mortality, justifying definitive language.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
The effects of lowering LDL cholesterol with statin therapy in people at low risk of vascular disease: meta-analysis of individual data from 27 randomised trials
This big study found that taking statins to lower bad cholesterol by 1 mmol/L reduces the chance of dying from heart or blood vessel problems by about 15% and from any cause by about 9%, without increasing deaths from other causes like cancer.