Luther T. Clark, MD is chief, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York.

In their study, Strandberg and Strandberg (page 13) found that during a 39-year follow-up of initially healthy men, aged 30 to 45 years (mean, 38 years), low serum cholesterol levels predicted better survival, better physical function, and better quality of life in old age, without adversely affecting mental functioning.

There is now substantial evidence that treatment with statins improves clinical outcomes in patients with acute as well as chronic coronary heart disease, and in older1 as well as younger patients