Statins

Statins are a class of medicines, used to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which plays a central role in the production of cholesterol in the liver. Statins were recently in news because the NICE, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, says that statins should be taken by people who have a 20% or greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease within 10 years. But a recent in-depth study from the University of Oxford concluded that even low-risk, healthy people would benefit from statins.

You know it already:

Cholesterol is a fatty substance made from the food. Cholesterol is essential for the body to work well, but too much ‘bad cholesterol’ (called low-density lipoprotein) is unhealthy. High levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ can increase the risk of having a heart attack or a stroke and of developing cardiovascular disease.