The Study
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 study looked at data from 27 big experiments where people were randomly given statins or not. It found that lowering bad cholesterol with statins really does help prevent heart attacks and strokes — even in people who seem healthy. It’s like knowing a seatbelt saves lives — we can say for sure it helps.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Even if you've never had a heart problem, taking statins to lower bad cholesterol can stop heart attacks, strokes, and surgeries — and it's safer than most people think.
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
The highest quality evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that pool randomized controlled trials, giving the most reliable summary of experimental evidence.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — preventing 11 serious events per 1,000 people is a big benefit, far bigger than the tiny risk of getting diabetes.
- 2For every 1,000 low-risk people taking statins for 5 years: 11 fewer heart attacks/strokes/surgeries; 9% fewer deaths; no more cancer; tiny 0.1% higher diabetes risk.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Lancet
Year
2012
Authors
B. Mihaylova, J. Emberson, L. Blackwell, Anthony C. Keech, J. Simes, Elizabeth H Barnes, M. Voysey, Alastair Gray, R. Collins, C. Baigent
Related Content
Claims (10)
Statins, which are prescription drugs, can lower your 'bad' cholesterol by about half, while berberine, a natural supplement, only lowers it a little bit — so statins work much better.
Statins lower the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood by blocking HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme that produces cholesterol in the liver.
For people with a low 5-year risk of heart attacks or strokes, lowering LDL cholesterol by 1.0 mmol/L with statins reduces the number of major vascular events by about 11 per 1,000 people over five years, and this reduction in events is larger than the increase in cases of muscle damage or diabetes caused by statins.
Lowering LDL cholesterol by 1.0 mmol/L reduces the risk of major vascular events by a similar amount in people with low, moderate, and high risk of cardiovascular disease.
Taking statins to lower your 'bad' cholesterol by a small amount can cut your chance of having a stroke by about a quarter—even if you're not at high risk to begin with—and it works just as well for low-risk people as it does for high-risk ones.
Taking statins to lower your 'bad' cholesterol by about 1 point (in mmol/L) can cut your risk of dying from heart problems by 12% and your overall risk of dying by 9%, without raising your risk of dying from other causes like cancer or accidents.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.