What 50 Years of Fibrate Research Tells Us About Heart Risk
Dr. Kumar’s Take:
This large review study looked at over 53,000 patients to see if fibrates—older cholesterol medications—still offer heart protection. The results were mixed. Fibrates have historically been used for lowering high triglycerides. In this review, they reduced heart attacks and related events, but only in studies where they also lowered LDL cholesterol. Lowering triglycerides alone didn’t seem to reduce heart risk.
In today’s world where many people are already on statins, fibrates may offer little extra benefit unless they’re clearly improving LDL levels. This doesn’t mean fibrates are useless—but they might be most helpful in specific cases where LDL is still high, statins aren’t tolerated, and patient’s are at high risk for heart disease.