A new study suggests individuals on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs should be closely monitored by doctors for side effects.

According to Reuters, researchers in Britain studied more than 2 million people, including 225,922 patients who were new statin users and had been prescribed a range of the cholesterol-lowering medications.

They found that side effects were most common in the first year of use and included things like liver dysfunction, kidney failure, cataracts and a muscle weakness condition called myopathy.

Statins are routinely prescribed to treat high cholesterol and have been credited with helping millions of people avoid heart attacks and strokes.

A group of medical professionals commenting on the study’s findings say that although there are risks associated with the medications, the benefits outweigh them.

"It would be wise to interpret the present observations in the context of the confirmed cardioprotective effects of statins and remind ourselves and our patients that these drugs, although considered safe, are, like any intervention in medicine, not entirely free of adverse events," they wrote.

Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise are often considered key to keeping cholesterol in check. Among the herbs and nutritional supplements believed to help lower cholesterol are fish oil, flaxseed, garlic, blond psyllium, guggulipid extract, green tea extract and beta sitosterol.