Cardiologist says combination of drugs, diet, exercise lowers heart attack risk

Statins — the drugs that lower blood cholesterol — are beneficial , but people who take them still need to watch what they eat and get exercise to reduce their chances of having a heart attack.

The human body makes cholesterol naturally, but some people make more than others. When it accumulates in small blood vessels it can create blockages that may lead to heart attack or stroke. Statins reduce cholesterol in the blood by inhibiting its production in the liver.

For some people, statins may cause problems such as muscle aches, cramps, fatigue and in some rare cases, rapid destruction of muscle tissue. But side effects can often be reduced or eliminated by lowering the dosage of the drug or trying one of the dozen or so different kinds of statins