Statins can cut dementia risk by up to 15%, the earlier you take them the better, 15-year study finds

A landmark 15-year study that followed over 132,000 Danish participants has concluded that statins reduce dementia risk by as much as 15%, with the greatest protection seen among those who begin taking the cholesterol-lowering medication earlier in life. The research, published in the Lancet Regional Health Europe journal, comes as dementia cases worldwide are forecast to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050.

Overall, statin users showed a 10% lower likelihood of developing dementia, a figure that climbed to 15% among those who began treatment at an earlier age.

The findings held equally for men and women, and experts note that close to half of all dementia cases may already be preventable or delayable.

Each pill can cost as little as 3p, and scientists have described the results as 'potentially important' given that statins already rank among the most widely prescribed drugs on the planet.