That was my favorite of all headlines related to the big health news this week that cholesterol-lowering statins apparently greatly reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and death--even in people without high cholesterol. (I was overjoyed to get to use it again.)
Most stories go into an explanation about the culprit, c-reactive protein (CRP), which causes inflammation in the arteries making it more likely for plaque to come loose, etc. etc. etc. Statins lower CRP.
What do you think? People are calling it groundbreaking. It's a big study: 18,000 people in 26 countries. Called off three years early because initial results were so dramatic. Paid for by AstraZeneca, the maker of the statin studied--Crestor.
Does it mean everyone should run to their doctor for a CRP test and, if it's elevated, start taking a statin...for the rest of their life?
Or should we look to more natural inflammation-reducers?
Or do we ignore this for now and wait for more information?
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