The Study
Cardiovascular event reduction and adverse events among subjects attaining low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <50 mg/dl with rosuvastatin. The JUPITER trial (Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin).
This study is like a fair test where half the people got a medicine and half got a sugar pill. We can say for sure the medicine helped reduce heart problems. But when they looked at who ended up with the lowest cholesterol, that part isn't a fair test — those people might have just taken their pills better, so we can't say the low cholesterol itself caused the benefit.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Doctors gave a cholesterol-lowering pill (rosuvastatin) to healthy people with high inflammation but low cholesterol to see if it helped prevent heart attacks.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 559 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — cutting LDL below 50 mg/dL with this pill led to big drops in heart problems and death, without causing more side effects than expected.
- 2People who got their LDL cholesterol below 50 mg/dL had 65% fewer heart attacks and strokes, and 46% fewer deaths from any cause, compared to those on placebo.
- 3No more cancer, muscle damage, or brain problems were seen.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Year
2011
Authors
J. Hsia, Jean G Macfadyen, J. Monyak, P. Ridker
Related Content
Claims (6)
For people who have already had a heart attack or are at very high risk for one, taking statins lowers the number of future heart attacks, strokes, or other cardiovascular events.
In adults with low LDL cholesterol and high inflammation, taking rosuvastatin increases the risk of developing diabetes mellitus slightly compared to not taking it, and this increase does not get larger in those whose LDL cholesterol drops below 50 mg/dL.
In middle-aged and older adults with high inflammation and low LDL cholesterol, taking 20 mg of rosuvastatin daily for two years reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes, or other major cardiovascular events by 44% compared to taking a placebo.
People taking rosuvastatin who lower their LDL cholesterol to below 50 mg/dL have a 65% lower rate of heart attacks, strokes, or other major cardiovascular events than those whose LDL cholesterol remains at or above 50 mg/dL.
Taking rosuvastatin does not raise the risk of cancer, brain or nerve-related side effects, muscle damage, or kidney problems in adults with low LDL cholesterol and high inflammation, even when LDL cholesterol is lowered below 50 mg/dL.
Adults taking rosuvastatin who lower their LDL cholesterol to below 50 mg/dL have a 46% lower rate of death from any cause compared to those whose LDL cholesterol remains above this level.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.