TL;DR
Because most statin studies emphasize relative risk rather than absolute benefit, the real-world impact is often overstated; in primary prevention, more than 100 people typically need to take statins for years to prevent one event.
Are Statins Effective for Preventing Heart Attacks?
Much of the published research on cholesterol-lowering drugs emphasizes relative risk reduction, which can make benefits appear large, while absolute risk reduction—the actual difference in outcomes between treated and untreated groups—is often small and buried in the data.
When absolute risk reduction is examined, especially in people who have not had a prior heart attack, the benefit of statins is modest. In many primary-prevention studies, more than 100 people must take a statin for several years to prevent a single cardiovascular event, meaning the vast majority receive no measurable benefit for that outcome.
This information is frequently difficult to extract because modern medical research is heavily influenced by pharmaceutical funding and regulatory structures that prioritize patentable drug therapies. As a result, statistical presentation often obscures real-world impact, reinforces medication-centered care, and minimizes discussion of more effective non-patentable approaches such as diet, metabolic health, and inflammation control.
Understanding absolute benefit—not just relative risk—is essential for informed decision-making.
