Daily dose for 6m patients

eligible to take them. Statins are given to patients with a 10 per cent or higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease or having a heart attack or stroke within a decade.

They are proven to help heart patients, but experts say the percentage thresholds for prescribing them may be too high, meaning the benefits are outweighed by sideeffects for many patients.

Statins: Risks and benefits SIX million Britons take daily dai statins to reduce cholester cholesterol and ward off heart disease. They are the most commonly com monly prescribed drug in th the world and an estimated 30 pe per cent of all adults ove over the age of 40 a are