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News
Statins work for older adults too. The landmark STAREE trial found that atorvastatin 40 mg reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events by 30% in healthy adults aged 70 and older with no prior CVD history. While statins didn't extend disability-free survival, they showed no increase in dementia or major disability — a key safety reassurance for this age group.
Statins deliver a 30% cut in heart attack and stroke risk for adults over 70
Older adults have long been underrepresented in major cardiovascular trials — but the STAREE trial just changed that. Presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the trial found that atorvastatin 40 mg daily reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (CV death, MI, stroke, or coronary revascularization) by 30% over six years in healthy adults aged 70+ with no prior CVD, diabetes, or dementia.
On the flip side, statins did not extend disability-free survival — but crucially, they also didn't cause harm. There was no increase in dementia or persistent physical disability in the statin group, directly countering longstanding concerns about cognitive side effects in older patients.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: Clinical guidelines have historically been cautious — or silent — on statin use for primary prevention in adults over 70. These findings give clinicians the first dedicated, rigorous evidence base to have that conversation with older patients, and experts are already calling for guidelines to be updated accordingly.
