In recent times, cholesterol-lowering statins have been the subject of intense scrutiny and controversy with several studies coming out with contrary findings regarding their efficacy and safety.
A recent study found that statins can stimulate atherosclerosis and heart failure. But cardiologists and doctors from other specialities recommend taking claims of these resear-chers with a grain of salt. They say that countless large-scale trials in the past achieved a significant reduction of bad cholesterol in patients, decreasing their vulnerability to develop heart disease and stroke. They say side effects manifest in those patients on a very high dose of statins (but doses used in India are pretty low).
However, they agree that statins don’t play a key role in primary prevention of cardiac conditions even though they work well in cardiac patients and people with other co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
Although the body needs cholesterol, too much can lead to plaque buildup on the walls of the arteries.