Taking statins slightly raises your chance of getting diabetes by a tiny amount—about 0.1% per year—but it cuts your risk of heart attacks and strokes by much more, over 50 times more, especially if you’re not already at high risk for heart disease.

Even if you're not at high risk for a heart attack or stroke, taking statins can still cut your chances of serious heart or blood vessel problems by about the same amount as it does for people at high risk.

If you're at low risk for heart problems and take a statin to lower your 'bad' cholesterol by a small amount, you're about 11% less likely to have a heart attack or stroke over the next five years — out of 1000 people like you, roughly 11 fewer will have a major heart or blood vessel problem.

Even people with a low risk of heart problems can get just as much protection from statin pills as those at high risk — which surprises doctors because they used to think only high-risk people benefited much.

Taking statins to lower your 'bad' cholesterol by just a little bit can cut your chance of having a stroke by about a quarter—even if you're not at high risk to begin with—and this help comes mostly from preventing strokes caused by blood clots, not brain bleeds.

If you're at low risk for heart attacks or strokes in the next five years, taking a statin to lower your 'bad' cholesterol by a small amount can prevent about 11 serious heart or blood vessel problems per 1,000 people over five years — and that help is bigger than the side effects you might get.