Clearing Up The Confusion: For Most, Statins Are Safe & Key To Cholesterol Control

As we end Heart Health month and perhaps renew our pledge to do all we can to lower our risk of heart disease (which continues to be the #1 cause of death in our country), there’s no getting around the risk that high cholesterol poses to our heart health. While not all the cholesterol that your body produces is bad, when you have too much in your system, especially LDL cholesterol, it can lodge in your arteries to form plaque, which can restrict the arteries, causing them to become less flexible, and lead to a heart attack or stroke. The problem is that there are usually no noticeable symptoms of having high cholesterol, beyond your results from blood tests. Your age or risk factors (smoking, inactivity, alcohol, diet), along with genetics, may put you at risk for high cholesterol, but the only real way to ascertain your status is by having regular blood work done. And once it’s determined that your cholesterol numbers are too high, you will then need to consider actions to take to get those numbers down. Lifestyle changes are one obvious way: Changing your diet (reducing saturated fats and increasing your fiber) and getting more physical activity, for example. But for many of us, those altered habits are not sufficient. We need medication to help us reduce and regulate our cholesterol levels. And that’s where statins, and the misinformation and misunderstanding about their safety and value, are important to understand.  

Statins are described as “modern medicine’s miracles.” It’s been estimated that for every 10,000 people who take a statin, 10% will avoid a major cardiovascular event. Since millions of Americans take a daily statin, we know that every year, thousands of lives have been saved as a result of statin usage. Yet, it’s also been estimated that less than ½ of Americans who would be eligible for a statin are actually taking one. Why this discrepancy between those eligible and those actually taking this highly effective medication? Much of it has to do with concern about side effects of the drug, including fears of muscle aches and increased dementia risk. In fact, many patients stop taking the drug after a year or so. Some reported side effects are of legitimate concern (and research is underway to develop statin alternatives that may avoid them), but other fears are unfounded and even distorted in a misinformation campaign. So let’s take a look at the side effects and what the data actually show for this low-cost, widely used, and highly effective drug.

New research just published in The Lancet examined the 66 side effects listed on the statin informational pamphlet distributed with statin packaging and determined that out of those 66, 62 of the side effects were unsupported by scientific evidence. In fact, a 10-year review of the data involving over 100,000 participants found only a small risk of 4 listed side effects, including liver abnormalities, urine changes, and tissue swelling. It therefore seems that, due to fear of small (but manageable) risks associated with statins, millions of people may be losing out on life-saving, preventive cardiology medication that can lower their risk of heart attack or stroke by 25%. As one expert made clear, “There’s no significant excess risk with statins for almost all conditions listed in statin packaging as potential side effects. No increase in memory loss, depression, sleep disturbances, erectile dysfunction, weight gain, nausea, fatigue, or headache.” You may experience one or more of these conditions while you are on a statin, but it’s highly unlikely that the statin caused that condition. Some have gone so far as to state that, due to unfounded fears of statins, there have likely been thousands of avoidable strokes and heart attacks. In conclusion, one study author made clear, “Our study provides reassurance that, for most people, the risk of side effects is greatly outweighed by the benefits of statins.” In fact, statins have been found to be so safe that leading experts suggest they should be available without a prescription, given their safety, efficacy, and low-cost. There’s very little evidence that statins cause problems even if you’re not at high risk for high cholesterol, and it is possible, through a phone app, for example, to allow patients to self-screen to see if statin use would be beneficial to them.

There are some legitimate and substantiated muscle aches attributable to statin use. It’s estimated that of the 40+ million Americans who currently use a statin, perhaps 10% experience muscle pain (and thus stop taking their statin). New research out of Columbia University and published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation reports that statins may bind to a protein inside muscle cells and cause calcium to leak inside the cells, thus leading to muscle pain. This discovery as to why people experience SAMS (Statin Associated Muscle Symptoms) may very well lead to scientific breakthroughs to limit or prevent this discomfort. However, it is often the case that this muscle pain can be resolved if you switch the statin you are using or change the dosage.

Finally, there has been ongoing concern about the connection between statins and dementia. Apparently, social media is replete with posts about the potential of statins to cause memory loss or even dementia. While these symptoms may be prevalent among statin users, that is more likely due to the age of statin users or other risk factors, not to the actual usage of the statin. The Lancet research cited above found no scientific support that there’s any connection between taking a statin and raising your dementia risk. In fact, there is some evidence to support the opposite: A study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia in 2025 found that statins may actually provide neuroprotective benefit, meaning they reduce your risk of dementia. According to this study, some dementia is caused by vascular inflammation, which can be drastically reduced by using a statin. While there is not yet sufficient data to prescribe a statin to reduce your risk of dementia, there is no truth to the rumors that statins can cause dementia. To find out more, click here. 

So, if you have poor lifestyle habits or a genetic history of heart disease or high cholesterol in your family, at a minimum, you should be checking your cholesterol levels through regular blood work. And if your cholesterol levels are higher than recommended, beyond altering your lifestyle, statins may provide excellent preventive protection against a heart attack or stroke. Certainly, that’s a decision for you and your doctor to discuss. But don’t dismiss the option based on unsound or inaccurate information. Your heart and your life may depend upon you knowing and acting on the truth.