Roll Out More Statins?

Part of an individual's cholesterol comes from their diet, with the rest being manufactured in their liver. Cholesterol is not simply a 'bad' substance. Reasonable levels are needed to control transport of substances through cell membranes, to act as building blocks for the manufacture of the body's steroid hormones etc. Excessive cholesterol levels can, however, cause arteriosclerosis. This is a build up of plaque on the inner surface of blood vessels, occluding them and reducing blood flow. It consequently increases the risk of getting a heart attack (the vessels supplying the heart can be blocked) or a stroke (by a blood clot, reaching the brain). Statins are hormones that reduce blood titres of cholesterol, largely by acting on the liver (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/12/new-statins-guidelines-nice-nhs-england). In England, currently 10m 'higher risk' people (largely older males), take daily doses of statins, to protect against heart attacks and stroke. The National Institute for Health and care Excellence (NICE) does costs versus benefits analyses of 'medical' interventions. NICE are now advocating extending daily statin doses to a further 15m 'lower risk' individuals, aged 24-84, in England. Statins can have side effects e.g. causing muscle pain (I stopped using them, when they started to interfere with some of my carer role activities). Taking statins will reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes that health services have to deal with. If possible (it depends on one's liver activity), it's probably better to routinuely monitor cholesterol values and to attempt to regulate these by dietary changes. This does, however, involve more work and a degree of willpower. Pills always seem to be the first option.