Statins, the controversial pills prescribed to lower cholesterol, slash the risk of early death in people aged over 75 by a quarter, a study shows. It found that the risk of dying from a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, was 20 per cent lower for those taking took statins. The benefits … Read more
Giving hospitalised Covid-19 patients statins could cut their risk of dying or needing to be hooked up to a ventilator, a study has suggested. Chinese researchers found severely-ill patients given the cholesterol-busting drugs – which can cost just pennies – were up to 45 per cent less likely to die. And data showed statins cut … Read more
Giving hospitalised Covid-19 patients statins could cut their risk of dying or needing to be hooked up to a ventilator, a study has suggested. Chinese researchers found severely-ill patients given the cholesterol-busting drugs – which can cost just pennies – were up to 45 per cent less likely to die. And data showed statins cut … Read more
I was prescribed statins to lower my cholesterol but, after a couple of months, my hair is starting to thin. I want to lower my cholesterol but not lose my hair. Mrs P. Nicholson, Hornchurch, Essex. Hair loss, technically described as alopecia, has been reported as a rare side-effect of all statins. Many other drugs … Read more
Statins may reduce the amount of harmful microbiota in the guts of obese people, according to a new study. Scientists have found that a type of gut bacteria known as Bact2 is far more common in obese people. These microbes are seen in just 3.9 per cent of lean individuals, but are present in more than … Read more
Moderate exercise could help patients taking cholesterol-busting statins beat the most common side effect of muscle pain, researchers say Roughly six million people in Britain take statins at a cost of £20 per patient Less than one in ten patients who take them report some form of muscle pain Discovery could lead to ways to … Read more
If you spend a lot of time on Twitter (and I do at the moment), you can end up reading some very odd claims. Apparently smoking protects against Covid-19, the virus is using the 5G mobile-phone network to spread, and eating raw garlic will keep corona at bay. Needless to say, many of the claims … Read more