Millions could benefit from 3p pill ‘to slash risk of heart attack and dementia’

MILLIONS more people could benefit from statins as new studies show they slash the risks of dementia and heart attacks in old age. Cholesterol-lowering pills are one of the NHS’ most prescribed drugs at around 90million packs per year. Statins are one of the most widely prescribed NHS drugs (stock image) Credit: Alamy The pills could protect the brain as well as the heart (stock image) Credit: Alamy They are typically given to protect against heart and coronary artery diseases but were thought to offer little benefit beyond the age of 70. Now a world-first trial by Monash University in Australia found even healthy pensioners who take them have a 30 per cent lower than average risk of a heart attack or stroke. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! A separate study by Copenhagen University Hospital showed people with type 2 diabetes – around five million Brits – were 15 per cent less likely to develop dementia if taking statins. Dr Roy Jogiya, from Heart Research UK, said: “A 30 per cent reduction in major cardiovascular events is substantial and suggests many more older people could benefit from statins. Read more on heart health “It shouldn’t mean prescribing statins to everyone over 70 but it gives us much stronger evidence to consider them in older people who might previously have been thought unlikely to benefit.” Statins can cost as little as 3p per tablet and work by reducing the amount of fatty cholesterol in your blood. This could help to stave off disease by maintaining healthy oxygen supplies to the heart and brain. Six out of ten Brits are estimated to have high cholesterol but many do not know it. Most read in Health The Monash University trial compared heart attack and stroke rates among 5,000 over-70s who were taking statins with 5,000 who were not. Over the six-year study, patients taking the pills were nearly a third less likely to suffer a major heart event. Doctors in Copenhagen, Denmark, studied 132,585 people with type 2 diabetes and found those who took a statin were 10 to 15 per cent less likely to develop dementia. Both studies were presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s congress in Munich. ESC expert Professor Isabel Goncalves said: “Statins are widely available and inexpensive so these findings are potentially important.” Around seven to eight million people in the UK take statins but at least twice as many are believed to already be eligible. The new findings suggest even more people could benefit. There are an estimated eight million over-70s and five million people with type 2 diabetes. Prof Sophia Zoungas, from Monash University, added: “With the world’s population ageing at an unprecedented rate, answering fundamental questions about healthy longevity has become imperative.” What to know about statins... Statins are medicines that help lower your cholesterol and protect your arteries. This helps lower your risk of heart and circulatory conditions, such as: coronary heart disease angina (chest pain and discomfort) heart attack stroke Cholesterol is a fatty substance in your blood that helps to make vitamin D and some of your hormones. If you produce too much cholesterol (high cholesterol), it can block blood vessels and stop them working properly. High cholesterol can cause cardiovascular disease, a condition that affects the heart and blood vessels. This can cause heart attacks, strokes and peripheral arterial disease. Studies show that low-dose statins can lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) by up to 30 per cent and high-dose statins can lower it by more than 40 per cent. Who may be offered statins: you’re at higher risk of getting cardiovascular disease and healthy lifestyle changes have not helped or are unlikely to help on their own you already have cardiovascular disease (to reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke) Taking statins at the same time as other medicines, herbal remedies, or some types of food or drink can stop the medicines working properly or increase the risk of side effects. For example, it can cause problems if you take statins with things such as: medicines for high blood pressure or blood vessels, such as amlodipine, verapamil or diltiazem antifungal medicines such as fluconazole certain antibiotics, such as clarithromycin and erythromycin HIV medicines warfarin or another medicine to help prevent blood clots ciclosporin – a medicine used to treat conditions such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis colchicine – a medicine used to treat gout fusidic acid – a medicine used to treat skin infections herbal remedies such as St John’s wort grapefruit or grapefruit juice, as it can increase side effects Source: NHS and the British Heart Foundation Comment now