New research warns that people taking the controversial statins drugs are more likely to suffer from hardening of the arteries, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease. Researchers also found that the drugs block a process that protects the heart, which can then cause, or worsen, heart failure. They also point out that the hypothesis that statins protect the heart by lowering cholesterol is flawed and that high cholesterol is not necessarily linked to heart disease. Many researchers have been warning about the dangers of statins and while it has taken sometime, it’s good to see that mainstream researchers are now starting to speak out against these drugs. The Express reports: The lead author says: “I cannot find any evidence to support people taking statins.” The findings, published in Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology, will add to the debate surrounding the drugs, which are routinely given to up to 12 million patients in the UK, or around one in four adults. Supporters say they save lives by lowering cholesterol and UK health regulators say they are safe. Oxford professor Sir Rory Collins has warned that overstating concerns about statins could “cause very large numbers of unnecessary deaths from heart attacks [...]