The signs of heart attacks, cardiovascular diseases and strokes kill more people than all the cancer sufferers in the United Kingdom and the Unites States of America.
This is a massive burden for health professionals and welfare systems all over the world.
In an attempt to make dramatic reductions in these numbers, scientists are looking at ways to help the whole population of people over the age of 55.
Their target is to reduce the number of strokes and heart attacks by as much as eighty per cent and significantly reduce the numbers of people contracting cardiovascular diseases.
These scientists have been looking at a cost effective preventative treatment that can safely be taken by everyone over 55.
The Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine have been leading the research and have devised a new pill that is a combination of drugs that are normally prescribed separately.
They have combined Folic Acid with Statins and also chemicals that reduce blood pressure.
Their rationale is to boost heart defences with the Folic Acid, reduce cholesterol levels with Statins and bring down high blood pressure.
It is hoped that by people taking just one pill a day that they can make significant reductions in strokes, the signs of heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases.
The inclusion of Statins is a controversial issue with some doctors preferring more natural ways of getting their patients to reduce their cholesterol levels.
They often encourage them to change their lifestyle pattern to include more exercise and to eat a better diet by cutting out some foods high in cholesterol and making big reductions in the saturated fats in the foods they consume.
Cholesterol blocking foods are also encouraged like those that contain plant sterols.
This 'one size fits all' approach is seen by some as a backward step in treatments.
All pills have side-effects of some sort and by combining so many different things together it will be difficult to isolate which drug is actually causing a problem.
This pill may clearly not be suitable for everyone, especially those who already have low blood pressure.
The thought of everyone over 55 having to take a pill everyday is maybe unacceptable to many.
However the improvements on the quality of life in old age as an exchange for just taking this pill may well be worth it.
It will certainly save money in the long term for health providers around the world, either state or privately funded, in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, strokes and the signs of heart attacks.
This is a massive burden for health professionals and welfare systems all over the world.
In an attempt to make dramatic reductions in these numbers, scientists are looking at ways to help the whole population of people over the age of 55.
Their target is to reduce the number of strokes and heart attacks by as much as eighty per cent and significantly reduce the numbers of people contracting cardiovascular diseases.
These scientists have been looking at a cost effective preventative treatment that can safely be taken by everyone over 55.
The Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine have been leading the research and have devised a new pill that is a combination of drugs that are normally prescribed separately.
They have combined Folic Acid with Statins and also chemicals that reduce blood pressure.
Their rationale is to boost heart defences with the Folic Acid, reduce cholesterol levels with Statins and bring down high blood pressure.
It is hoped that by people taking just one pill a day that they can make significant reductions in strokes, the signs of heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases.
The inclusion of Statins is a controversial issue with some doctors preferring more natural ways of getting their patients to reduce their cholesterol levels.
They often encourage them to change their lifestyle pattern to include more exercise and to eat a better diet by cutting out some foods high in cholesterol and making big reductions in the saturated fats in the foods they consume.
Cholesterol blocking foods are also encouraged like those that contain plant sterols.
This 'one size fits all' approach is seen by some as a backward step in treatments.
All pills have side-effects of some sort and by combining so many different things together it will be difficult to isolate which drug is actually causing a problem.
This pill may clearly not be suitable for everyone, especially those who already have low blood pressure.
The thought of everyone over 55 having to take a pill everyday is maybe unacceptable to many.
However the improvements on the quality of life in old age as an exchange for just taking this pill may well be worth it.
It will certainly save money in the long term for health providers around the world, either state or privately funded, in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, strokes and the signs of heart attacks.