Researchers uncover possible cause of muscle pain from widely used cholesterol medication

Millions of people rely on statins, a medication used to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. But for some, the drugs come with an unwelcome trade-off: muscle pain, weakness and exercise intolerance that can make it difficult to continue treatment. Now, researchers at McMaster University have uncovered a biological pathway that may explain why those side effects occur, opening the door to future therapies that could make statins easier to tolerate while maintaining their lifesaving cardiovascular benefits.