LOS ANGELES, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Daily statin could reduce heart disease risk among adults living with HIV, according to a new study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In a double-blinded phase 3 trial, researchers randomized participants into either a treatment group, where they received a daily statin, or a control group, where they received a placebo pill that contained no medication.

The researchers found that daily statin may offset the high risk of cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV by more than a third, potentially preventing one in five major cardiovascular events or premature deaths in this population, according to the study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

People living with HIV can have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk for cardiovascular disease, according to the study.

"This research suggests that statins may provide an accessible, cost-effective measure to improve the cardiovascular health and quality of life for people living with HIV," said Gary H. Gibbons, director of the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 38 million people worldwide live with HIV, a virus that suppresses the body's immune system if untreated. About 1.5 million new HIV cases were diagnosed in 2021.