In 2019, around 92 million Americans reported that they'd taken a statin at one time or another. According to the American Medical Association, today more than 46 million Americans could cut their risk of cardiovascular disease by taking a statin — but only about half of them are doing that regularly.

That's a shame, because anyone with Type 2 diabetes can significantly reduce his or her risk of major cardiovascular events and death by taking a statin, according to a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

But protection from heart disease isn't all they're missing. The more we learn about statins, the more we discover how beneficial they can be.

For people with moderate to severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), statins may cut the risk of hospital-based surgery almost in half, says a new study in the journal IBD.

How do the medications do this? By profoundly reducing body-wide inflammation and moderating immune responses in the gut.

Add to that indications of statins' ability to prevent or slow cancer growth, decrease local recurrence, and improve survival, and you've got a pretty amazing little pill.

I take a statin along with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) because statins can decrease natural CoQ10 levels in the body, triggering muscle pain, lowering energy levels, and causing inflammatory damage to cells throughout the body.

Ask your doctor if it's smart for you to take a statin and CoQ10, then actually take them.