Statins, pills that are known to lower cholesterol may reportedly reduce the risk of early death among people over the age of 75 years old. However, these pills are considered controversial, and Daily Mail Online covered the story.
Studies have shown that the risk from yielding to cardiovascular disease, for instance, stroke or heart attacks, can be reduced by around 20 percent when the elderly take these statins.
The pill's health advantages include helping to lower down cholesterol in their blood and may be taken and ingested by those who have dementia, and those in their 90 years life span.
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Preventing deaths?
The study also provides evidence that thousands of deaths may be prevented from each other when elderly people are consistent about taking these pills.
VA Boston Health Care System physician-scientist Dr. Ariela Orkaby said, "Stains are commonly studied and prescribed for middle-aged adults but understudied in people over the age of 75."
Boston Health Care is a branch of hospitals in the state of Massachusetts.
She added, "One of the most remarkable things about our results is that we found the benefit of statins held true regardless of whether a person was older or younger or had a condition such as dementia."
Meanwhile, the Royal College of GPs shared the opinion that it is "particularly reassuring" to find proof about this benefit in people over the age of 75.
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
How do statins do it? These pills may lower the cholesterol levels known as LDL or low-density lipoprotein, leading to the narrowing and hardening of arteries. Thus, increasing the chances of stroke and heart attack. With the pill, everything changes.
Researchers have done and completed studies showing how statins may prevent these diseases, even in middle-aged groups.
Yet, there is little work done to find out the advantages of these pills among people over 75. There were about 28 big clinical trials completed, with 2% of participants aged 75 and older.
They studied 300,000 military veterans between the years 2002 to 2012. Most of the elderly who participated had not had a heart attack, cardiovascular disease, and stroke in the past.
The researchers concluded that while the connections are present, there is still little and inadequate data on whether these should really be prescribed to the elderly, Daily Mail Online.
For example, in 28 major clinical trials of statins, only 2% of participants were aged 75 or older.
This means that even though older adults are at greater risk of heart disease and death, there is very little data on whether statins should be prescribed for them.
"One drawback of the study is that during its time frame, the most commonly prescribed statin was simvastatin, which is prescribed as a pill to lower cholesterol if patients have been diagnosed with high blood cholesterol," Daily Mail correspondent Jonathan Chadwick wrote.
