A study by Australian medical researchers is the latest salvo in the battle triggered by the documentary, "Heart of the Matter," which raised questions about the safety and effectiveness of statins, a class of drugs that block the body's ability to synthesize cholesterol.
The study, which appeared in the 15 June issue of the Medical Journal of Australia, found that thousands of Australian patients stopped taking statins after the two-part documentary aired on the 24th and 31st of October 2013 on the science journalism series Catalyst. Citing a 2005 meta-analysis by the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists' Collaboration, the authors wrote "[T]his could result in between 1522 and 2900 preventable, and potentially fatal, major vascular events," such as heart attack and stroke.
