Should you take cholesterol-lowering statins?

Statins are drugs that can lower your cholesterol by blocking a substance your body needs to make cholesterol. These medications can also lower the risks of heart disease and stroke.

Well, can everyone take it? Can you take it?

According to a health report by the Harvard Medical School,  guidelines established by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology say that doctors should determine the risks of heart disease before prescribing statins.

For healthy adults ages 40 to 75, the risks are assessed by taking into account the person's age, gender, race, total cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking history.

"Statins are advised for people with a 7.5% risk for heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years," the report said.

Dr Christopher Cannon, a Harvard Medical School professor and cardiologist said, "Once you hit age 64, everyone meets the criteria based on age, not cholesterol. And it's not known if an otherwise healthy older adult with normal cholesterol would avoid heart attack with a statin, because no trial has studied that."

He, however, does not think that people with a 7.5% risk should get statins.

"Personally I will still look at that risk and add high cholesterol. So if the LDL is above 100, that's high, and a statin has been shown to help," explains Dr Cannon.

Statins are still recommended and prescribed routinely for all people with known heart disease, for people with very high LDL cholesterol (190 mg/dL or higher), and for middle-aged adults with type 2 diabetes.

At your next doctor visit, ask if statins would have a meaningful impact on your risk for heart disease and stroke. You should also ask what you need to do to reduce your risk.

A good start is to eat a diet low in salt and saturated fat and high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and get 150 minutes each week of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking or swimming.