Should I be taking a statin?

Updated 2026 American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology guidelines have lowered eligibility thresholds for statin therapy, expanding preventive treatment recommendations to younger demographics, including millennials aged 30 and older. By incorporating 30-year primary risk models alongside traditional 10-year forecasts, the new framework addresses lifetime cumulative atherogenic exposure and early plaque formation before overt cardiovascular events occur. While statins offer significant long-term risk reduction for individuals with elevated ApoB/LDL particles or specific comorbidities, clinical decisions require balancing prospective cardiovascular protection against minor, well-characterized risks of muscle and liver toxicities.