Since 2009, Miller-McCune has taken a couple bites of the apple surrounding statins – a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol in the bloodstream – and whether there might be some unacknowledged health concerns for some users. Just about anything a human might ingest, from aspirin to water, might prove harmful in some cases, but we looked at statins because they were so popular (in 2009, we estimated 13 million in the U.S. alone were prescribed statins, and that figure is now believed to be north of 20 million) and yet there was little discussion of the drugs’ risks. And there are ... Read More

Statins have been marketed — and widely described in the media — as wonder drugs which help ensure heart health by lowering cholesterol. But as we reported in 2009 ("Cholesterol Contrarians Question Cult of Statins"), an outspoken group of researchers warn their use is too widespread, and their potential dangers underestimated. A study just published in the journal The Cochrane Collaboration suggests their doubts are valid. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine reviewed previous studies on the risks and benefits of statins for people at low risk of ... Read More