Washington ? A large study has produced the strongest evidence yet that driving cholesterol down to very low levels offers additional protection against heart attacks and strokes, researchers reported Tuesday.

The eagerly awaited study involving more than 10,000 at-risk patients showed that using high doses of powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins to slash levels of so-called bad cholesterol far below current targets can markedly reduce patients’ risks.

The study addresses one of the biggest debates in treating the leading cause of death in the United States: How aggressively should doctors and patients use statins to lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol?

The findings may encourage more doctors to begin using the drugs to reach ultra-low LDL levels if the results of two other similar studies reach similar conclusions, experts said.