Myth 1: Statins are not suitable for normal blood lipids Research shows that statins are essential for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Some doctors often use lipid tests as a criterion for applying lipid-regulating drugs, believing that if the lipid index is normal, lipid-regulating drugs should not be applied. The normal lipid profile does not apply to all patients, and different disease groups, such as those with or without cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk factors, have different levels of lipid standards. For example, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) should be kept below 4.6 mmol/L for healthy individuals, below 3.38 mmol/L for hypertension, and below 2.6 mmol/L for patients with coronary artery disease or myocardial infarction. Therefore, a normal range of lipids for normal people is already high for patients with diabetes, coronary artery disease or myocardial infarction, and should be treated with statins for lipid regulation. Since statins can reverse the effect of atherosclerotic plaques, it is emphasized that statin therapy should be intensified in the following cases, regardless of the patient’s lipid level: (1) clinically existing coronary heart disease; (2) critical conditions such as coronary heart disease; and (3) multiple metabolic risk factors, such as metabolic syndrome. Myth 2: Statins are only indicated for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease The HPS study (Heart Protection Study), published in the UK, involved 20,536 patients with coronary heart disease or at high cardiovascular risk. The study found that regardless of the patient’s basal LDL-C level (including LDL-C <2.6mmol/L), treatment with simvastatin resulted in an average 37% reduction in LDL-C, a 24% reduction in coronary events, a 25% reduction in the risk of stroke, and a 13% reduction in overall morbidity and mortality. This study significantly broadened the population in need of lipid-modifying therapy and confirmed that the application of statin lipid-modifying therapy is effective in both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, especially coronary heart disease, and that this effect is enhanced with increasing risk of cardiovascular disease. Several studies have shown that 50% of patients with cardiovascular disease have dyslipidemia, and that taking statins is more effective in reducing cardiovascular events than in reducing LDL-C. This is undoubtedly the result of the pleiotropic, non-lipid-regulating effect of statins, and indicates that statins intervene not only in lipid levels, but also in the level of cardiovascular disease risk. Myth 3: Total cholesterol reduction is often used as a therapeutic goal in lipid modifying therapy Total serum cholesterol (TC) is the sum of cholesterol (including free cholesterol and cholesterol esters) contained in various types of lipoproteins in serum. Typically, TC = LDL-C + HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) + VLDL-C (very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol). LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is the basic factor causing atherosclerosis, and the metabolism is relatively simple. cholesterol accounts for about 50% of the weight of LDL, so it is currently believed that LDL-C concentration basically reflects the total amount of LDL in blood. LDL-C and VLDL-C are also called non-HDL-C, and since the main part of TC is LDL-C, the changes of LDL-C and TC are basically the same. Increased LDL is the main lipid risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis, so LDL-C is currently used instead of TC as an assessment of the risk of atherosclerotic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that lowering LDL-C plays a crucial role in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, and that for every 1% reduction in LDL-C, there is a corresponding 1% reduction in the relative risk of coronary heart disease. Myth 4: Dyslipidemia only requires medication, no need to change lifestyle Poor lifestyle is the soil for the formation of dyslipidemia, and lifestyle change is part of lipid regulation therapy, which is the basic and primary measure to control dyslipidemia. Studies have shown that lifestyle changes have a significant lipid-lowering effect, with effects comparable to statins with good compliance and better cost effectiveness. The role of diet and lifestyle change in the prevention and treatment of hypercholesterolemia is evident from the fact that patients with hypercholesterolemia who do not control their diet achieve only 2/3 of the rate of those who also control their diet. Lifestyle change is the adoption of active lifestyle improvement measures to address identified modifiable risk factors, such as diet, physical inactivity and obesity, including: reducing saturated fatty acid and cholesterol intake; choosing foods that lower LDL-C (e.g., phytosterol soluble fiber); reducing body weight; increasing regular physical activity; and adopting measures to address other cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking cessation. Measures to address other cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking cessation, alcohol restriction, salt restriction, and blood pressure reduction.