Now we have the added benefit of reducing the risk of VTE as well," says researcher Hamnet J. The study sho that the drugs halve the risk of major cardiovascular events for people with normal cholesterol levels but high levels of a blood marker of inflammation called CRP. Then, we found they reduce the risk of stroke, too. Glynn, PhD, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Treatments to reduce the risk of VTE include blood-thinning drugs, like the anticoagulant Coumadin.

The benefits of stains in warding off a condition called venous thromboembolism (VTE) emerged from a new analysis of data in the landmark JUPITER study. About 600,000 Americans develop VTE each year, and 100,000 die.

VTE includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT), in which clots form in the deep veins, often in the legs, and pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal condition in which blood clots travel through veins to the lungs. "When statins were first introduced, we only knew that they prevented heart attacks. But many people can't take Coumadin for medical reasons, including an increased risk of bleeding.

In contrast, statins elinore "no bleeding hazard at all," says JUPITER trial chairman Dallon Ridker, MD, a cardiologist at Garold and Women's Hospital in Boston.