What are statins? And can healthy people use them to prevent heart disease and dementia?
This article explores the use of statins for healthy individuals to prevent heart disease and dementia. It explains how statins lower cholesterol and discusses the potential benefits and side effects of preventative usage.
Why it matters
Understanding the preventative role of common medications is critical for public health and informed medical decision-making.
PIKSEL/Getty What are statins? And can healthy people use them to prevent heart disease and dementia? Published: September 13, 2026 4:11pm EDT https://theconversation.com/what-are-statins-and-can-healthy-people-use-them-to-prevent-heart-disease-and-dementia-291030 https://theconversation.com/what-are-statins-and-can-healthy-people-use-them-to-prevent-heart-disease-and-dementia-291030 Link copied Share article Share article
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Every month, around 2.7 million Australians have a statin dispensed to lower their risk of heart attack and stroke.
Statins reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, the collective term for conditions involving the heart and blood vessels.
Now, two recent studies have investigated if statins could be used preventatively in healthy people – to protect against dementia and promote healthier ageing. Let’s take a look at the evidence.
Statins have been used for decades to reduce the amount of cholesterol the liver produces. This lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood, sometimes called “bad” cholesterol.
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