--- title: Statin Drugs: Risks Overblown and Benefits Under Appreciated description: A new review confirms the benefits of cholesterol-lowering drugs in lowering heart disease risk canonical: https://time.com/4485413/statin-safety-side-effects/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-09T15:32:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:11.083Z article:section: Health og:title: Statin Risks Overblown and Benefits Underappreciated, Say Researchers og:description: A new review confirms the benefits of cholesterol-lowering drugs in lowering heart disease risk og:url: https://time.com/4485413/statin-safety-side-effects/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca84e0c545439eb5/6988a560fb4eac5ce788f099/gettyimages-128585544.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5400 og:image:height: 3038 og:image:alt: Lipitor (Atorvastatin calcium) is a synthetic lipid-lowering agent created to reduce elevated blood cholesterol levels when accompanied with diet changes. Lowering blood levels of fat and cholesterol can help reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes, an og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Statin Risks Overblown and Benefits Underappreciated, Say Researchers twitter:description: A new review confirms the benefits of cholesterol-lowering drugs in lowering heart disease risk twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca84e0c545439eb5/6988a560fb4eac5ce788f099/gettyimages-128585544.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Statin Drugs Are Safe and Underprescribed: Researcher > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=502d275c-23ef-431c-ae68-14b1cf022c6d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Explains: The New Cholesterol Guidelines [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Explains: The New Cholesterol Guidelines](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1JquDqp7.m3u8) (3:07)  _Published 2013-11-13. New guidelines would double the number of Americans on cholesterol-lowering drugs. Here's what you need to know._  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Sep 9, 2016 3:32 PM UTC  Lipitor (Atorvastatin calcium) is a synthetic lipid-lowering agent created to reduce elevated blood cholesterol levels when accompanied with diet changes. Lowering blood levels of fat and cholesterol can help reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes, angina, and heart attacks. Lipitor (Atorvastatin calcium) is a synthetic lipid-lowering agent created to reduce elevated blood cholesterol levels when accompanied with diet changes. Lowering blood levels of fat and cholesterol can help reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes, angina, and heart attacks. Chris Gallagher—Getty Images/Science Source  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Sep 9, 2016 3:32 PM UTC Statins have been a major boon to [treating the leading cause of death among Americans, heart disease](http://time.com/3956485/heart-disease-statins/). The drugs, almost all of which are now off patent and available for as little as a few dollars a month, not only lower cholesterol in the blood but may control levels of inflammation that can contribute to heart attacks and stroke. In a new review of the evidence on statins’ effectiveness, researchers led by Rory Collins, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Oxford, [report in the _Lancet_](http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS140-6736%2816%2931357-5/abstract) that concerns about the side effects of statins may be overblown, and that appreciation of the drugs’ benefits are [under recognized](http://time.com/120958/who-really-needs-to-take-a-statin/). Not all experts agree, and researchers [writing in the _BMJ_](http://www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i4963) argued that the side effects of the drugs were downplayed in the _Lancet_ study, calling for more and better studies to understand their potential adverse effects. Collins makes his case based on a review of the most rigorous data available so far. “There seemed to be a lot of confusion, particularly around the alleged side effects of statins,” says Collins. “There is a claim that 20% of patients given statins claim to be statin intolerant.” Statin intolerance is a known but rare adverse effect of the drugs; early studies found that some people taking them developed muscle weakness that could develop into severe degeneration of muscle tissue that then damages the kidneys and other organs. But after a popular statin, Baycol, was voluntarily removed from the market in 2001 after reports of nearly three dozen deaths linked to muscle disorders, concerns about the side effects grew, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. revised labels for some statins to reflect the potential risk and advise doctors and patients to stay within recommended doses to avoid muscle problems. Doctors also began discussing the possible muscle side effects with patients before prescribing the drugs, which Collins says may have subliminally caused some people to think they had muscle pain which they attributed to the drug. It’s possible, however, that people who are prescribed a statin may also begin exercising, since their doctors likely discussed their heightened risk of heart attack, and some of the perceived muscle pain was due to soreness. Studies that reported as many as 20% of statin users reporting muscle pain were also observational, which meant they relied on reports from patients. In the more gold standard trials that compared people on statins to those on placebo and their reports of side effects, those taking the drugs did not report any significantly higher rates of problems than those on the dummy pills. “When doctors say, ‘Look, you can get muscle problems with these drugs, and if you get them come back and we’ll test your blood, lo and behold patients came back and said, I’ve got some aches and pains,” he says. In reviewing the available data, Collins says statins reduce risk of heart events by about 25% for each unit drop in cholesterol levels, each year the drugs are taken, compared to people not on the medications. He calculated that for people who have already had a heart attack or heart disease, taking statins over five years would lead to 10% fewer heart events while those who are at high risk of having a heart attack but haven’t had one yet would enjoy 5% fewer events over that time. Collins says that the adverse events associated with statins are real — people have reported not just muscle problems but some memory issues and [diabetes](http://time.com/3732605/statins-may-seriously-increase-diabetes-risk/) as well. These are rare, and while the diabetes risk is the most concerning, doctors need to balance these side effects with the real dangers of heart attack, stroke and other heart-related problems if people don’t take statins and their cholesterol levels remain high. These risks are especially important for people who might not have heart problems yet, but whose doctors are discussing starting them on statin therapy. The new American Heart Association-Amercian College of Cardiology guidelines, for example, [recently expanded the group of people who might be eligible for these drugs](http://time.com/120958/who-really-needs-to-take-a-statin/?iid=sr-link5). For them, since they are otherwise healthy and not experiencing heart disease symptoms, the threshold for risk in the form of side effects should be higher, say some experts. They disagree with Collins’ interpretation of the data and call for better studies documenting the risk more rigorously. The FDA, for one, has noted the risk of side effects with its requirement that labels on statins alert doctors and patients to them, noting that they are rare and that regardless, doctors should monitor people taking statins carefully. Collins says that pharmaceutical companies have provided funding and drugs for his studies, but the University of Oxford retains all of the data and designed and conducted the studies independently. The university also has a policy of not accepting honoraria or consultancy from the pharmaceutical industry. ## Transcript There are new guidelines for treating cholesterol. Here's what you need to know. [ MUSIC ] For years, when it comes to cholesterol, doctors have told us, know your numbers and that makes sense, since a third of Americans have high cholesterol levels and elevated cholesterol can double your risk of having a heart attack. Attack. So ideally Americans should aim for having a total cholesterol of about 200, and a bad cholesterol level, or LDL level of 100 or below. Eating a low fat diet and exercising more are the best ways to lower cholesterol, but when those don't work, taking drugs call statin's can help. These work on the liver by helping the body to produce less cholesterol. But the problem with the target numbers was that they weren't really based on solid scientific evidence. So officials at the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have decided to reshape the way doctors treat cholesterol. Instead of focusing just on the cholesterol levels They now say that physicians should prescribe statins to anyone in the following four categories. The first group include people who have had a history of heart disease, either a heart attack or other heart problem. The second group include people with bad cholesterol or LDL levels of 190 or above. The third group are for type one and type two diabetics since diabetes can increase the risk of having a heart attack. And finally the most controversial group, these include people who are otherwise healthy, have no history of heart disease but have a 7. 5 % increase risk of developing heart problems over the next ten years. And if that sounds very complicated and you have no idea what your risk is, the groups have provided a handy calculator on the American Heart Association website. The factors that you plug in include your age, sex, race, smoking history, as well as your cholesterol levels to figure out what your risk of having a heart attack might be. The purpose of the new guidelines is to make sure that everyone who can benefit from a statin is taking one. And that can include anywhere from 30 million to 70 million new people. And there are probably a few reasons behind why the heart experts decided to make these new recommendations. [ MUSIC ] The first includes that new studies have showed that statins, in addition to lowering cholesterol can also help to lower levels of inflammation. A new research shows that inflammation may be one of the key factors in aggravating the unstable plaque, that can break up and lead to heart attacks. Second, all but one of the seven statins that are currently on the market, are now available in generic form, and that means that they're relatively inexpensive. A three month supply can cost as little as ten dollars. But just because you may now qualify for a statin doesn't mean that your doctor will necessarily put you on one. 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