Statins can safely cut risk of heart attacks or strokes in healthy people aged over 70, world-first clinical trial shows

Statins can safely reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes in healthy people aged over 70, according to a world-first clinical trial. The STAREE trial, published in The Guardian and Medscape, found that atorvastatin cuts major cardiovascular events by 30% in older adults with no history of cardiovascular disease. This finding is significant because it contradicts the conventional medical view that statins should not be prescribed to older adults without a history of cardiovascular disease. The trial's results are supported by additional research.

The Guardian and Medical Xpress both cover a study suggesting that early initiation of statins after a type 2 diabetes diagnosis is associated with a lower risk of dementia. The Guardian also notes that statins can reduce dementia risk by up to 15%. However, the benefits of statins in older adults are not without caveats. The reduction in major cardiovascular events is driven mainly by nonfatal events, as noted by Medscape and TCTMD.com.

This means that while statins may prevent heart attacks or strokes, they do not necessarily prevent deaths from these events. The Sydney Morning Herald emphasizes that statins cut heart attack risk in older people, but does not specify the extent of this risk reduction.