Statins may not provide any benefit for low-risk individuals

Long believed to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease, statins may not be as beneficial as originally believed researches explain.

Available by prescription only in the United States, the medication is available over-the-counter in the U.K. and more than 30 percent of residents over 40 years old are taking it.

Researchers warn individuals in the low risk group for heart attacks and explain they may want to re-evaluate their medicating.

Searching for more information, researchers discovered that most studies on the drug were funded by drugmakers and the drugs were found to decrease heart attack risks for low risk individuals by just a small amount.

Experts believe many of the reports on statins were altered to only present the beneficial data in efforts to make the drugs more appealing to consumers.

Additionally, reports omitted information about the side effects of the drugs as well.

When analyzing more than 34,000 individuals, researchers discovered the drug, after taken for one year, lowers death risks by just one percent.

The drugs are supposed to lower cholesterol and the common drugs are Lipitor by Pfizer and Crestor by AstraZeneca.

Additional research is being conducted on whether or not the drugs provide a real benefit for individuals who have not experienced a heart attack yet.