Statins After 70 - Do They Really Help?

Should you take a statin after 70? Until now, there hasn't been much evidence to answer that question in otherwise healthy older people. Now, a major Australian study led by researchers at Monash University has provided some important new evidence. The STAREE trial followed almost 10,000 Australians aged 70 and over for almost six years. Researchers found that people taking the statin atorvastatin had a 30 per cent lower risk of a major cardiovascular event, including heart attack and stroke. But the results weren't straightforward. The trial didn't find that statins extended the amount of time people lived without dementia or major physical disability, and some medically important side effects were more common among people taking atorvastatin. So what does STAREE actually tell us about statins and older age? On this episode we speak with Professor Sophia Zoungas, a lead researcher on the STAREE trial from Monash University and Executive Director of The George Institute for Global Health Australia. Presented and produced by Michael Zubreckyj.