Women benefit from statins the same as men

A prescription to buy Lipitor can significantly reduce a person's chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke, regardless of their gender, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The Columbia University Medical Center researchers who conducted the study said that most clinical investigations have focused primarily on the effects of statin medications in men. Relatively few studies have involved large populations of women.

To solve this problem, the team combined results from 11 previously published studies to develop a large sample size of females. The results showed that men and women derived similar benefits from taking statin medications. Both genders are significantly less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke when taking the drugs.

The team said their findings support the use of statin medications, which includes Lipitor, in the prevention of heart attacks and stroke in women. While the medications have been in use for about 20 years, this is one of the first investigations to show that women benefit from the drugs to a similar degree as men.