Fig. 2

Study schema. Participants will be enrolled in the study after completing screening visits. At Study Visit 1, aldosterone levels before and after angiotensin II stimulation will be assessed at baseline before participants are randomized to either simvastatin 20 mg, pravastatin 40 mg, or placebo. Aldosterone secretion will then be assessed 1 day after initiation of study drug in order to determine the acute effects of statin use. Aldosterone secretion will be assessed after 6 weeks at Study Visit 2 and after 12 weeks at Study Visit 3 in order to determine the chronic effects of statin use. Approximately 5 days before Study Visit 2, participants will have their lipid levels checked. If their LDL-cholesterol has decreased by less than 35% since screening, study drug dose will be doubled for the final 6 weeks of the study starting after Study Visit 2. A 5-day low-sodium diet will precede each study assessment. The primary endpoint is comparison of 12-week angiotensin II-stimulated aldosterone secretion between the simvastatin and placebo groups