In an article for Northern Virginia Magazine, Sudip Saha, MD, wrote about the role of statins in treating high cholesterol.
“Despite the popularity of statin medications, they do have some drawbacks,” wrote Dr. Saha, a board-certified cardiologist at the Kaiser Permanente Tysons Corner Medical Center. “Yet for most people, the benefits greatly outweigh the risks. Making the decision whether to start taking statin medications is one you should make after thoughtful conversation with your doctor.”
Writing in February to recognize American Heart Month, Dr. Saha explained that statins work by adjusting how your body handles cholesterol, essentially reducing the amount of cholesterol made by the liver. Statins help eliminate extra cholesterol from the bloodstream. Statins can be beneficial for patients aged 40 and older with high cholesterol who have a high likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke in the future. Statins also often are prescribed for patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and for patients who previously had a heart attack or stroke.
Dr. Saha also wrote about ways to lower cholesterol without medication. Read the full article for more details.