Three commonly prescribed statins are best placed to lower all the "bad" types of cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes, according to a statistical combination of the results of 42 clinical trials. The study was carried out by University of Manchester, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and Keele University scientists, and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

It is the first study to show the effectiveness of statins, a group of medicines that can help in lowering all types of bad cholesterol for patients with diabetes, which is in line with official guidance recently updated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Bad cholesterol in the blood, known as non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), can build up within the walls of blood vessels, putting people at risk of dangerous blood clots.

For the first time, the meta-analysis of more than 20,000 adults evaluated the effectiveness of seven statins on lowering non-HDL-C levels, and is published in the British Medical Journal.

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