About 80 per cent of high-risk patients taking statins for cardiovascular disease still have high cholesterol and may need higher doses of the medication, a study finds. Researchers from Imperial College London analysed the findings of a major study of cardiovascular patients in 18 European countries including the UK. Those at the highest risk of … Read more
Statins are not particularly effective at reducing the risk of dying from heart disease, a study claims. Scientists analysed 35 studies into the effects of the drugs which lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and found the pills have no consistent benefit. The research, published in the British Medical Journal, found three quarters of all trials reported … Read more
Statins, the controversial pills prescribed to lower cholesterol, slash the risk of early death in people aged over 75 by a quarter, a study shows. It found that the risk of dying from a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, was 20 per cent lower for those taking took statins. The benefits … Read more
Giving hospitalised Covid-19 patients statins could cut their risk of dying or needing to be hooked up to a ventilator, a study has suggested. Chinese researchers found severely-ill patients given the cholesterol-busting drugs – which can cost just pennies – were up to 45 per cent less likely to die. And data showed statins cut … Read more
Giving hospitalised Covid-19 patients statins could cut their risk of dying or needing to be hooked up to a ventilator, a study has suggested. Chinese researchers found severely-ill patients given the cholesterol-busting drugs – which can cost just pennies – were up to 45 per cent less likely to die. And data showed statins cut … Read more
I was prescribed statins to lower my cholesterol but, after a couple of months, my hair is starting to thin. I want to lower my cholesterol but not lose my hair. Mrs P. Nicholson, Hornchurch, Essex. Hair loss, technically described as alopecia, has been reported as a rare side-effect of all statins. Many other drugs … Read more
Moderate exercise could help patients taking cholesterol-busting statins beat the most common side effect of muscle pain, researchers say Roughly six million people in Britain take statins at a cost of £20 per patient Less than one in ten patients who take them report some form of muscle pain Discovery could lead to ways to … Read more
If you spend a lot of time on Twitter (and I do at the moment), you can end up reading some very odd claims. Apparently smoking protects against Covid-19, the virus is using the 5G mobile-phone network to spread, and eating raw garlic will keep corona at bay. Needless to say, many of the claims … Read more
As yet there’s no magic bullet that offers protection against coronavirus. And even though vitamin C supplements are selling in huge quantities, hard evidence on its effectiveness in preventing even colds is still lacking. JO WATERS reports on the ways that you can keep your immune system in good shape. Eating a varied and colourful … Read more