UPDATE - Issue 25 - Spring 2006
Prevention better than cure
New advice from NICE (The National Institute for Clinical Excellence) recommends that all at risk of cardiovascular disease should be prescribed statins.
The decision is another move which aims to prevent health problems rather than simply react to them. It will affect many elderly adults, the overweight and obese, diabetics and people with a family history of heart disease and high cholesterol. Estimates suggest that the numbers receiving statins in the country will double to about 3.5 million..
The treatment, taken in the form of daily tablets, is prescribed to control high levels of blood cholesterol and is sometimes given after a heart attack or a stroke to cut the risk of another one.
While welcoming the decision, which is going to help many,many people, we would counsel that prevention is much better than cure. Statins should not be seen as an excuse or alternative for smokers and fatties to duck the issue of sorting out their own life style. There is no substitute for exercise, five portions of fruit and veg a day and a light weight and good looking body.