New research published in the Lancet says more healthy people should be prescribed statins to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Professor Colin Baigent is one of those behind the study. He told Sarah Montague that we have got to consider giving treatment to healthy people and that the health benefits of statin therapy greatly outweigh the hazards, adding that the treatment is "very cost effective".

Professor Baigent was asked whether we should stick to improving diet or stopping smoking to lower cholesterol, rather than prescribing drugs. "Why don't we do both?" he said.

Scientists looked back at previous studies and concluded that 2000 lives could be saved if more people were prescribed statins.

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