A study published in JAMA found that “more than half of U.S. adults ages 30 to 79—about 87.5 million people—are now recommended for statins to prevent cardiovascular disease under newly updated clinical guidelines.”

The new recommendations “significantly change how doctors assess cardiovascular risk beyond the next 10 years to a person’s risk over several decades.” The new guidelines broaden eligibility, adding an additional 21.5 million American adults into the tier of people recommended for statins, or 56.6% of adults aged 30 to 79. The governing bodies incorporated an “updated risk calculator released in 2023 and broadened eligibility by expanding the age range from 40-75 to 30-79 and extending the risk horizon from 10 years to 30 years.”

For the study, the team analyzed data from 4,366 participants who do “not have existing cardiovascular disease.” The analysis “focused specifically on primary prevention—reducing risk before a heart attack or stroke occurs—and did not include pregnant individuals in the study sample.” Age remains a strong predictor of risk; relatively few adults (11.1%) are recommended statins in their 30s, compared to 93.5% of adults in their 70s.

Thus, the “vast expansion of people recommended for treatment is heavily driven by patients who are generally considered to be at low risk in the shorter term…but modest risk” within 30 years.