British Doc Prescribes Statins to All Men Over 50

Mass anti-cholesterol dosing proposed
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 28, 2007 8:06 AM CDT
British Doc Prescribes Statins to All Men Over 50
G.B. ENGLAND. London. ECG machine. 2001. (LON32668)   (Magnum Photos)

All men aged 50 and over should forestall heart disease with daily doses of cholesterol-reducing statins,  a leading health figure in British government has proposed. The so-called “heart czar” acknowledged he might provoke “nanny state” accusations, but said the process of identifying at-risk men is  too cumbersome, and the drugs should be doled out in a blanket fashion.

The British Heart Foundation immediately disagreed with mass prescription, insisting “there’s no such thing as a safe drug.” Indeed, new research points to slight increases in cancer among those taking high doses of statins. But the ‘czar’ dismissed the downside, saying the drug, already estimated to save 10,000 lives each year, could be saving even more. (More cholesterol stories.)

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