A research conducted at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) has suggested that almost half of American adults aged 40 to 75 should be asked to take statins, from the viewpoint of cost effectiveness. It has been said so as one in three American adult has high LDL cholesterol.

The researchers have gone through a computer-generated simulation model, which was based on real data. After going through the model, the researchers have stated that if a person having a 7.5% or more risk of heart attack or stroke takes statin for more than 10 years then its benefit outweigh the costs.

It is not the first time when such a recommendation has been made. In fact, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have also proposed the same in their guidelines. But these recommendations have been under criticism since they have been announced.

Critics think that taking statins would make people exposed to unneeded treatment. In order to assess whether or not guidelines make sense from financial perspective, study researchers have performed a cost-effectiveness analysis to know the optimal value for the 10-year heart-disease-risk threshold.

The researchers have found that guidelines are perfect from cost-effectiveness point of view. They have also affirmed that prescribing statins to people having a 3% or more risk is also an optimal recommendation, as it is preventing additional 161,560 cardiovascular-disease events.

Study's lead author Ankur Pandya was of the view, "I hope it helps to calm down the controversy, or at least inform the debate around the guidelines".