They’re called statins, and for years they’ve been seen primarily as helping to lower bad cholesterol to help battle coronary artery disease.
You might know them by their various trade names, Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor and a host of others.
Lately, however, medical science is learning that the widely-prescribed drugs can help reduce the risk of stroke too. Indeed, a recent report in the prestigious British medical journal “The Lancet” said that statin therapy is “the most important advance in stroke prevention since the introduction of aspirin and antihypertensive treatments.”
That followed other reports earlier pointing to statins as offering hope in reducing the risk of stroke. That study, also in The Lancet, reported a 25 percent decrease in the rate of stroke in those who took statins.
Many if not most people who take statins have been diagnosed with heart disease, but there is also evidence that statins work well to head off stroke and heart attacks in people with no history of heart disease. Statins are also being prescribed to people who have already had strokes. Indeed, there is some concern in the medical community that too many stroke patients – some 16 percent – are discharged without a statin prescription.
The lack of a statin could put them at risk for another stroke. Controlling cholesterol is seen as critical to reducing heart attack and stroke risk. Statins are a key to that, as are lifestyle changes such as:
- Losing weight.
- Eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.
- Exercising most days of the week.
- Quitting smoking.
- Being moderate in your alcohol consumption.
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