less likely to die as a result

People who eat unhealthily can end up with high cholesterol leves. High cholesterol is a major indicator for increased risk of heart attack and stroke and doctors advise that you should monitor your cholesterol levels especially if you are overweight.

Apart from healthy eating and exercise cholesterol levels can be lowered by the use of drugs called statins. These statins reduce the levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol) that is linked to a high risk of heart disease. One statin that has recently been the subject of research is rosuvastatin which goes by the brand name of Crestor.

Crestor is not only reckoned to reduce the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes but also to reduce the inflammation levels in the body. A particular chemical called c-reactive protein (CRP) that is found in the bloodstream is linked to high levels of inflammation and the use of Crestor has been shown to lower its levels in the blood.

Harvard Medical School in Boston, America that undertook the Crestor study noted that men and women with high levels of CRP who used Crestor were less likely to have a heart attack, a stroke, unstable angina, surgical procedures to open up blood vessels and also were less likely to die as a result.

Over 18,000 people took part in this study that was done in America and Europe. All of the male participants were over 50, the women who were involved were over 60 and many different ethnic groups were included. Crestor was also found to be well tolerated with none of the muscle pain associated with other statin use being reported.

If you are overweight or obese or you have a history of high cholesterol in your family you should always keep an eye on your cholesterol levels. This can be done with a simple blood test at the doctor. Staying away from fatty foods is the best way to reduce cholesterol levels.