Researchers reported some good health news: The cholesterol levels of Americans' are dropping, and more people, especially those in high risk, are getting treatment. The report suggests a change in recommendations for cholesterol treatment may be starting to pay off.
The declining cholesterol level in America
Dr. Pankaj Arora of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who led the study, said that the cholesterol level drop in the United States is very heartening. However, there is still so much more to do.
Heart disease is the world's leading killer, and high cholesterol is the main factor, but other factors need to be considered. Doctors treated their patients based mostly on their level of bad cholesterol, whether they had other risks or not.
Focusing on health
In 2013, national guidelines urged them instead to focus more on the overall heart risk of people by taking into account their blood pressure, age, diabetes, and other factors. Those with the highest risk would get the most benefit from cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.
The research team from Alabama studied records from CDCP or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recorded the cholesterol information from more than 32,000 adults from the year 2005 to 2016.
Among those taking cholesterol medication, the average level of bad cholesterol, also known as LDL cholesterol, dropped 21 points over the study period.
The researchers reported this observation in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The cholesterol level of Americans was declining even before the 2013 guidelines, but they continued to inch down afterward. The total cholesterol levels and other fat is known as triglycerides, decreased. Dr. Michael Miller, a preventive cardiology chief at the University of Maryland Medical Center, who was not involved with the study, said that the results gathered by the research team were impressive.
There was an uptick in statin use by those with diabetes over the study period, from less than half to over 60% getting one. People with diabetes usually are vulnerable to heart attacks, and they tend to have poorer outcomes.
Dr. Neil J. Stone, a cardiologist at Northwestern University, said that it is important for those with a diagnosis of diabetes not to get that first heart attack. He led the development of the 2013 guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, and he co-authored an update last year.
Dr. Miller said that there are still a lot of Americans who do not know if they have a cholesterol problem, and those who are in the high-risk group have not seen an increase in treatment. Dr. Miller advises consumers to have a cholesterol check to make sure that their health is in good shape. He also said that being active for at least 30 minutes a day and drinking lots of water instead of carbonated drinks can really help lower cholesterol levels, and it will benefit people with diabetes a whole lot.
Testing the cholesterol levels is easier than ever because you are no longer required to undergo fasting. Especially if you have additional risk factors, high cholesterol should spark an in-depth conversation about exercise, diet, and the pros and cons of statins.
