Heart patients ‘treat statins as a free pass to live unhealthily’

PEOPLE put on statins are likely to do less exercise and eat unhealthily, because too many think they have been given a “free pass” research suggests.

The study of 40,000 people found those taking such medication appeared to adopt less healthy lifestyles than others with similar risks of heart attacks who were not on the drugs.

The Finnish research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, tracked patients at risk of heart disease and stroke for 13 years Those put on drugs to cut blood pressure and cholesterol were 8 per cent more likely to become physically inactive and 82 per cent more likely to gain weight.

Researchers said it suggested some patients slackened efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle when given a drug to cut their risk of heart problems.

Maarit J Korhonen, the study author of the University of Turku, said: “Medication shouldn’t be viewed as a free pass to continue or start an unhealthy lifestyle. People starting on medications should be encouraged to continue or start managing their weight, be physically active, manage alcohol consumption and quit smoking.”

Prof Sir Nilesh Samani, the British Heart Foundation medical director, said: “Because this is an observational study, it is difficult to tease out cause and effect. The important message is that the use of drugs to prevent heart and circulatory diseases is not a substitute for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”

Prof Peter Sever of Imperial College London, added: “These findings emphasise the importance of maintaining lifestyle advice to patients initiating drug treatment, with the message that drug treatment of raised blood pressure and elevated cholesterol is not a substitute for changes in lifestyle.”