Lower Your Cholesterol

The latest cholesterol guidelines lower the recommended LDL levels to 70ml/dl for those who have already had a heart attack and 130ml/dl for people at high risk for heart attack or stroke. High-risk factors include having cardiovascular disease with diabetes, obesity, smoking, or poor eating habits. The goal for LDL set back in 2001 by the National Cholesterol Education Program was 100ml/dl, but the national average LDL is now 127ml/dl. Now the national goal is lowered to 70md/dl based on results of recent studies.

There are 29 million Americans who are considered at high risk, and two-thirds of them are on medications. Yet only half of them have LDL of less than 100ml/dl. Many people who were not given more aggressive treatment with medications are now going to get new prescriptions from their doctor. Tests such as the C-reactive protein level can find inflammation in the blood that can be indication of artery blockage. Using more medications may help lower LDL, but higher doses of statins can have side effects such as liver problems or muscle pain. But using drugs that keep the body from making LDL as well as statin drugs that lower the LDL and taking niacin, which raises HDL, is proving to be an effective combination for many patients. Doctors also recommend lifestyle changes such as limiting saturated fats and getting more exercise. Research has found that these lifestyle changes and new drugs can make a big difference.

Aggressive treatment for those who have already had a heart attack has saved a third more lives than just moderate treatment. The promising results of other recent studies indicate that the LDL guideline numbers should go down even further in the future. The effectiveness of improved diet and increased exercise and new combination drugs suggests similar treatment for people even if they are not considered at high risk. You can check your risk at: http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/atpiii/calculator.asp?usertype=prof.
To find tips on healthy choices when dining out or useful recipes for home, see the How You Can Lower Your Cholesterol Level website at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/lifestyles.htm.
SOURCE: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

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