A call for caution in the rush to statins

"Is it time to put cholesterol-lowering statin drugs in every medicine cabinet? Judging by recent headlines, you might think so. Last week heart researchers reported that millions of healthy people could benefit from taking statins even if they don’t have high cholesterol. Although many doctors hailed the study as a major breakthrough, a closer look at the research suggests that statins (like Crestor, from AstraZeneca, and Lipitor, from Pfizer) are far from magic pills. While they clearly save lives in people with a previous heart attack or other serious heart problems, for an otherwise healthy person the potential benefit remains small. Many doctors who believe in using statins for heart disease say they needn’t be given to healthy patients. Instead, they say, the focus should remain on encouraging healthful behavior and screening for traditional risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol. 'Statins have many biological effects that appear to be quite meaningful,' said Dr. Valentin Fuster, director of the heart program at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan and past president of the American Heart Association. 'But I don’t think the answer is a magic drug to prevent disease. The answer is to change behavior.'" - New York Times