According to Dr. Richard Besser, typical cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins lower the risk of developing heart disease by a percentage range of 25% — 40%. The reduction risk depends on current cholesterol level, blood pressure, smoking history, stroke or heart attack history, age, and gender. For example, there’s a 31% reduction risk for patients who never had any heart attack when taking statins and 36% reduction risk for heart attack. In general, it can be indicated that taking statin reduces risk at around 25% — 35% for heart attack, stroke and death; and reduction of recurrent heart attacks could be around 40%.