Rhonda Patrick· PhD
Now, having said that, there is absolutely no doubt that the LDL-lowering effect of statins contributes to reduced heart disease risk.
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The headline is broadly defensible, but the qualifications matter. Effect sizes vary by population, the strongest claims rest on shorter trials, and credible voices push back on how it's typically framed.
Now, having said that, there is absolutely no doubt that the LDL-lowering effect of statins contributes to reduced heart disease risk.
Every Sunday: the week’s new conflicts and verdict changes — and nothing else.
Native comments, Twitter mentions, and Reddit threads about this claim — surfaced together so the conversation isn't fragmented across platforms.
Bookmarking — the dossier-vs-overview split is the right call. Most of the time I want overview; sometimes I want receipts.
Would love a "what would change this verdict" RSS feed. Sign me up if it exists.
And fortunately, in the case of statins, it's been okay because the statins, by and large, have fulfilled their expectations. With the proviso that there's a huge variation in response, and even though there's a 30% to 40% reduction in heart disease risk in patients who are at risk, or even in the general population, it's been implied since that happens to just huge segments in the population, men, women, different ethnic groups, different lipid levels, and they seem to have a similar benefit across that population, but it's not 100%, and it's not even 50% for the most part.
One of the most effective treatments we have for any medical condition, other than maybe antibiotics for infections, are statins for lowering LDL, 30%, 40% reduction of risk, big time.