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Fast food chains can improve cholesterol by offering medication

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Fast food restaurants could help improve the cholesterol test results of their customers by providing statin medications along with their meals, according to a new study that was published in American Journal of Cardiology.

Researchers from Imperial College London looked at the cholesterol-lowering effect of current low-dose, over-the-counter statins and compared this to the amount of cholesterol in a typical fast food meal.

"We've worked out that, in terms of your likelihood of having a heart attack, taking a statin can reduce your risk to more or less the same degree as a fast food meal increases it," said Darrel Francis, who led the investigation.

The report suggested that fast food chains begin offering these drugs to their customers in order to minimize the effects of their food. Doing so could improve the heart health of millions of Westerners.

However, Francis added that statins don't cut out all the cholesterol from meals, so it is still a good idea for individuals to avoid fatty foods altogether.