A US government-backed panel in collaboration with heart health groups and other experts have advised adults as young as 40 and above to start taking low or moderate doses of cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that people between the ages of 40 to 75 with at least on risk factor for cardiovascular disease and a 10% or greater risk of heart attack or stroke over the next decade should take statin drugs.

They also suggested that doctors can even prescribe the use of drugs for people in this age group who have a 7.5% to 10% risk of getting heart attack or stroke based on the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology risk calculator.

Dr. Douglas Owens, of Stanford University in California and a member of the USPSTF, said, “In addition to a healthy lifestyle, statins are useful for people at an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease”.

As per experts, risk factors for cardiovascular disease include high total cholesterol or triglycerides, high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking.

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular disease killed almost 787,000 people in the US in 2011.

Researchers said cholesterol, which is a type of fat in the blood can build up in arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems. Statins help to lower cholesterol by blocking the production of cholesterol in liver.

Stating use was linked to a 17% decreases in risk of death from any cause, and a 36% reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, said researchers.

Reuters reported that, doctors may also consider prescribing the drugs for people in this age group with a 7.5 percent to 10 percent risk of heart attack or stroke based on the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology risk calculator.

"In addition to a healthy lifestyle, statins are useful for people at an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Douglas Owens, of Stanford University in California and a member of the USPSTF.

According to the Time, The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a panel of experts that is commissioned to comb through existing studies of health issues and come up with recommendations, attempts to address that question with its latest advice. The group says that the weight of evidence suggests that statins can help middle-aged people who have not yet had heart problems avoid them if they have a greater than 10% risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years.

But some people think the recommendations do little to clarify the situation.

The biggest preventive effect was seen in people with a 10 percent risk, with the task force making a strong recommendation for patients above the benchmark. For people between 40 and 75 with a 7.5 percent to 10 percent risk, statins can be beneficial but the the task force said these patients should consult with their doctors to assess the potential benefits of taking the drug, told the UPI.

"The magnitude of the benefit is different the greater the risk," Owens told Time. "Heart disease risk is a continuum, so the higher your risk, the more likely you will benefit from taking a statin."