London ? Most adult diabetics should be taking cholesterol-lowering drugs even if they have healthy cholesterol levels and no evidence of heart disease, a major new study has concluded.

The results which found that statin drugs cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes and the need for angioplasty or bypass surgery in diabetics by one-third emerge from the largest study ever to test the power of statins.

Experts say the findings, published this week in The Lancet medical journal, demand a change in recommendations, which do not advise statin therapy for diabetics unless cholesterol levels are elevated.

Statins sold under such brand names as Zocor, Pravachol, Lipitor, Mevacor and Lescol are taken by 25 million people worldwide at risk of dying from heart disease. Diabetics do not generally receive cholesterol-lowering therapy, although they have a particularly high risk of heart trouble.

If the new findings are acted on, about 100 million diabetics worldwide would become candidates for cholesterol-lowering treatment, according to Oxford University researchers.

They estimated this could prevent about 1 million heart attacks, strokes and angioplasty or bypass operations each year.