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Statins have same effect as a healthy diet in reducing risk of heart attack, says study

Study found statins, surgery and a healthy diet to have the same effect on reducing odds of a heart attack

REDUCING bad cholesterol cuts the risk of heart attack or stroke regardless of how it is done, a study found.

The odds fall by similar amounts whether the artery clogging substance is lowered through the use of statins, surgery or adopting a healthy diet.

A recent study has found lowering cholesterol by any means reduces risk of heart attack
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A recent study has found lowering cholesterol by any means reduces risk of heart attackCredit: Alamy

Researchers from Harvard Medical School analysed 49 previous trials that included data for 312,175 people and 39,645 cardiovascular events.

They found there was a 23 per cent relative reduction in the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as death, heart attack or stroke, for each 1mmol/L fall in LDL-cholesterol.

Dr Marc Sabatine said his review shows there are “additional options” for people who are unable or unwilling to take statins.

A healthy Mediterranean diet full of fruit, vegetables, fish and nuts is beneficial to a good diet
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A healthy Mediterranean diet full of fruit, vegetables, fish and nuts is beneficial to a good dietCredit: Alamy
Combining a Mediterranean diet with statins is said to produce the most effective results when it comes to reducing the risk of a heart attack
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Combining a Mediterranean diet with statins is said to produce the most effective results when it comes to reducing the risk of a heart attackCredit: Getty Images

But doctors say drugs should remain the first line of therapy given the large reductions in LDL-C they can achieve, their excellent safety record, and low cost of treatment at 5p a day.

Combining the use of statins with a healthy Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts and olive oil can produce the most effective results.

Consultant cardiologist Dr Tim Chico, from the University of Sheffield, said: “Either diet or statins reduce heart disease by around the same extent for a given reduction in cholesterol, but as statins reduce the cholesterol more than diet they do provide a greater benefit overall.

High cholesterol foods include cheese and sausages
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High cholesterol foods include cheese and sausagesCredit: Alamy

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“Although the current debate is often portrayed as whether or not we should use diet or statins to reduce risk of heart disease, this is a false choice that does real damage.

“The best way to reduce a person’s risk of heart disease is by combining a healthy lifestyle – for everyone – with drugs such in statins in certain types of patients that we know benefit from this treatment.”

Prof Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Patients on statins should be reassured that by lowering their cholesterol levels they are helping to protect themselves from future heart attacks and strokes.”

The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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