Statins found to reduce heart attack risk

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Drugs known as statins can significantly lower risk of heart attacks, strokes and death, the authors of a new study say.

Statins are mainly used as cholesterol-lowering agents, but a study involving nearly 18,000 people worldwide found that even those with low cholesterol can benefit from taking them, The New York Times reported Sunday.

The study, which was presented at an American Heart Association convention in New Orleans and published online in The New England Journal of Medicine, indicated the risk of heart attack was more than cut in half for people with low cholesterol who took statins. The test subjects did, however, have high levels of a protein called high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, or CRP, which indicates inflammation in the body.

The study also found that such people were also almost 50 percent less likely to suffer a stroke or need angioplasty or bypass surgery when taking statins.

The Times said the study's results are sparking debate over who should take a blood test to check CRP levels.