Health Discovery: By Jupiter! Statins Cut Heart Disease

Men and women in their 50s and 60s—with normal cholesterol levels—dramatically cut their risk of heart disease and stroke by taking a statin drug normally used only to lower cholesterol, a new study shows. Published in the Nov. 20 New England Journal of Medicine, the study, dubbed “Jupiter,” could change the basic guidelines for preventing heart disease.

Researchers from Brig­ham and Women’s Hospital in Boston looked at nearly 18,000 people with no history of heart disease but who did have elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, or hs-CRP, as measured in blood tests. Compared with the group taking a placebo, those on the statin reduced their chances of a heart attack by 54 percent, stroke by 48 percent and the need for bypass surgery or angioplasty by 46 percent. Learn more about the study on bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth.

Barbara Basler is a senior editor at the AARP Bulletin.