Protecting your heart health with statins

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease and stroke remain the leading causes of death in the United States. To protect your health, you can take steps like improving your diet, staying active, making lifestyle changes and, in some cases, using medicines. Statins are one way you can help reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke, and they’re some of the most prescribed medicines in the United States.

Common questions about statins

What are statins?
Statins are medicines that lower your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – sometimes known as “bad” cholesterol.

How do statins lower your cholesterol?
Most of the cholesterol in your body is made by your liver. Statins help limit the amount of cholesterol your liver can produce.

How do statins help protect your heart?
When you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can build up in your arteries. This buildup is called “plaque.” Plaque can narrow your arteries (atherosclerosis), which can reduce blood flow to your organs and lead to heart attack or stroke. Statins lower your cholesterol, which helps prevent plaque buildup and stabilizes existing plaque, ultimately reducing your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Why might your doctor recommend statins?
Your doctor may suggest statins if you have high cholesterol that hasn’t responded to diet and exercise, if you’ve had a heart attack or stroke or if you’re at risk for heart or blood vessel disease. Some people with diabetes may also benefit from statins.

Are there drawbacks to taking statins?
If you take statins you’ll usually need to keep taking them, or your cholesterol will increase. Statins can also interact with some other medicines, and with certain foods. And like all medicines, statins have a risk of side effects. Most people don’t have side effects from statins, and serious side effects are rare.

Are there different types of statins?
There are two groups of statins – hydrophilic, which dissolve best in water, and lipophilic, which dissolve best in fat. The main thing to know is that depending on your needs and health history, one group may work better for you than the other. And if you have side effects with one type, you might be able be able to try the other.

What’s next?
If you have questions about statins, or you want to learn more, talk to your doctor. It might help to write down your questions in advance. If you’re not sure where to start, the AHA has resources for talking with your doctor about cholesterol medications

Written by: Blue Cross of Idaho
Posted: February 20, 2026