Statins reduced heart attacks by 50% on a relative risk basis but only by 1% on an absolute risk basis in a 5-year trial.

“And therefore, the relative risk reduction is 50%. You've reduced it from, you know, one out of two people. Instead of two people having a heart attack, you reduce it to one. So, there's a 50% relative risk reduction. It sounds very impressive. But the actual risk reduction, absolute risk reduction, is one. You've only saved one person out of 100 you've treated from having a heart attack over a 5-year period.”