The study, which started in 1989, involved about 6,600 Scottish men, ages 45 to 64, with high LDL — around 190, on average. Half were given the statin Pravachol and the rest, dummy pills. Five years later, there were 35 per cent fewer heart-related deaths and also fewer heart attacks in the statin group. Once the study ended, the men went back to their regular doctors, and about one-third of both groups kept or started taking a statin. This means any differences seen years later probably is due to whether they took statins during the five-year study, Packard explained.