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.

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.

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).

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.

If you're at high risk for heart problems, getting your 'bad' cholesterol really low—below 70—doesn't seem to help much more than keeping it just a bit higher, like between 70 and 100.

If someone with heart disease is already lowering their bad cholesterol below 70 with a medium-strength statin, taking stronger cholesterol meds probably won’t significantly reduce their risk of heart attacks, strokes, or heart-related death—based on current data.