Cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce the flu death risk by half, researchers say. Because statins fight inflammation they may also be helpful in the fight against the flu and its complications.

Patients hospitalized with the flu were 41 percent less likely to die if they were taking a statin, according to scientists who reviewed the records of over 3,000 patients in 10 states during the 2007 to 2008 flu season.

One limitation of the study was that it was not known if patients taking statins were already healthier than their peers not taking statins.

It is estimated that between 3,000 and 49,000 people die from flu-related complications in the U.S. each year. The study was sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.