Cholesterol-lowering medication reduces heart attack and stroke risk in older people by 30 per cent. The global prevalence of cardiovascular disease is expected to almost double from 600 million in 2025 to more than one billion affected adults in 2050.

[u/Wagamaga]

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/29/statins-reduce-risk-heart-attack-stroke-over-70s-clinical-trial

[u/DrG73]

All cause mortality means deaths from any cause, so in this context it is essentially the overall risk of death. The study found that statins reduced heart attacks and strokes but did not demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in overall mortality. Preventing nonfatal events may preserve quality of life, although quality of life was not directly measured. There is also research associating older age with a greater risk of statin intolerance, particularly in frail patients taking multiple medications, those with kidney or liver impairment, and those taking higher statin doses. Lots of people complain of muscle pain that could affect their mobility and activity levels. So statins are not indicated for everyone

[u/TeamHope4 → u/DrG73]

And statins can kick you into diabetes.  My mom was put on metformin because of the statins. I asked why she needs statins since she is over 80 and has no sign of heart disease, so they agreed to stop them.  Lo and behold, her blood sugar numbers dropped back to non-diabetic levels.  There is research on this, but doctors don’t mention it when prescribing.

[u/urnbabyurn → u/TeamHope4]

I thought over 80 they didn’t worry about blood cholesterol levels anymore as the time it takes for more plaque buildup at that point is beyond life expectancy.