02/10/2026
If you have ever been worried about starting a statin because of the long list of potential side effects, a major new study in The Lancet has some very good news.
Researchers analyzed data from over 150,000 people in rigorous clinical trials and found that statins are not the cause of the vast majority of side effects often attributed to them—including memory loss, sleep problems, and depression.
While any medication can have side effects, for most people, the "risks" listed on the box are far more likely to be related to other factors rather than the statin itself. Meanwhile, the benefit of preventing heart attacks and strokes remains clear and significant.
Always talk to your doctor about your specific concerns, but this data confirms that statins are among the most thoroughly studied and safest tools we have for heart health.
Read more about the study here:
Adverse event data from blinded randomised trials do not support causal relationships between statin therapy and most of the conditions (including cognitive impairment, depression, sleep disturbance, and peripheral neuropathy) listed in product labels as potential undesirable effects. In light of th...
