The epidemic of flu has been on the rise. If you take statins then you need to be well informed by your doctor on how effective the administered flu vaccine is going to be. As two studies published in the Journal on Infectious Diseases have shown that statins may dampen the effect of flu vaccine.

In one study, researchers measured blood concentrations of flu antibodies in 5,584 vaccinated people older than 65 who used statins and 1,377 who did not take statins. In those taking statins, antibody concentrations, depending on the type of flu virus, were between 38 and 67 per cent lower than those who did not take statins.

The second study involving 137,488 people, mostly under the age of 65, showed that those people who were vaccinated and taking statins were more than 11 per cent likely to get a respiratory disease severe enough to seek medical care than people who weren't on statins. The researchers suggest that the beneficial anti-inflammatory properties of statins decrease the immune system's response to the flu vaccine. However, just based on these studies people should not jump to conclusions as extensive research is still required.