Articles
Statins: Are these cholesterol-lowering drugs right for you?
New cholesterol guidelines
Lifestyle is still key for preventing heart disease
The side effects of statins
What other benefits do statins have?
Content
Should you be on a statin?
Risk assessment tools
Cholesterol guidelines
Healthy lifestyle is still key for preventing heart disease
Consider statins a lifelong commitment
Side effects of statins
Weighing the risks and benefits of statins
Lifestyle is still key for preventing heart disease
Lifestyle changes are essential for reducing your risk of heart disease, whether you take a statin or not. To reduce your risk:
- Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke
- Eat a healthy diet that's low in saturated fat, trans fat, refined carbohydrates and salt, and rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and whole grains.
- Be physically active, sit less and exercise regularly
- Maintain a healthy waist girth: less than 40 inches in men and less than 35 inches in women
If you're following the recommended lifestyle behaviors but your cholesterol — particularly your LDL (bad) cholesterol — remains high, statins might be an option for you. Risk factors for heart disease and stroke are:
- Smoking
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Being overweight or obese
- Family history of heart disease, especially if it was before the age of 55 in male relatives or before 65 in female relatives
- Not exercising
- Poor stress and anger management
- Older age
- Narrowing of the arteries in your neck, arms or legs (peripheral artery disease)
