Do patients with low cholesterol need statins?

Washington: Statins are “life savers” for people with high heart risk. Researchers say levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol should be as low as possible What is considered “low cholesterol” should be cut to reduce stroke chances. Findings should end fears it could be dangerous to have too low cholesterol. Statins can cut the risk of heart attacks even in those with low- level cholesterol, according to a major review. Researchers say levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, which furs arteries and causes heart problems, should be as low as possible. Harvard researchers say. The findings should end previous fears that it could be dangerous to have too low a level of cholesterol, doctors say. Cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles, and at the moment doctors recommend that levels of cholesterol are lowered to 1.8 millimoles per litre of blood using statins. Experts agree that for those who already have a high heart risk, particularly those who have had a heart attack or a stroke, statins are proven lifesavers, slashing the chance of a second attack. But many doctors are uneasy with what they describe as the “overmedicalisation” of the middleaged, which sees statins doled out “just in case” patients have heart problems in later life. Previous research has also suggested that taking statins produced diminishing returns. But the latest study, published in JAMA Cardiology, suggests that there is no lower limit for cholesterol, suggesting people in good health could benefit from the drugs. It compared trials involving patients, some taking statins alone, while others took them alongside other cholesterol- busting drugs.