Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, and
cholesterol plays a major role in the development of heart
disease.Cholesterol can be controlled with statin drugs, a
common treatment for many people. You may think of cholesterol
as just a number, but using statins has other benefits to your
cardiovascular system. Research has shown that statins may
reduce the incidence of heart attack, stroke, and death in
people without cardiovascular disease. In fact, statins have a
primary role in cardiovascular disease prevention. Like most
medications, statins have a good and bad side. In most cases,
the benefits outweigh the risks. Here is some information about
statins that will make you think beyond your cholesterol number.
How Do Statins Work? Statins have been used primarily to treat
high cholesterol. High levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL,
the bad cholesterol) combined with low levels of high-density
lipoproteins (HDL, the good cholesterol) can lead to a condition
called atherosclerosis. Atherolscl