Why are LDL cholesterol levels dropping in America?

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Main Category: Cholesterol
Article Date: 16 Oct 2005 - 13:00 PST

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If Americans weigh more than they used to, do less exercise than they used to, eat more junk food than they used to, why are their levels of LDL cholesterol dropping?

The reason is that since the end of the 1980s statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs, have entered the scene. It is definitely not lifestyle that has brought about a drop in cholesterol levels, it is the statins.

According to recent research, statins are the main reason American cholesterol levels have dropped. Statins lower levels of LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol that clogs up the arteries and cause heart attacks. During the last 40 years the levels of good cholesterol (HDL) have remained static.

Physical exercise and weight loss help increase HDL level.

You can read about this study in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). The researchers compared various data from periodic public health surveys.

Doctors say that there is more to a healthy heart than just taking drugs. This is true, all guidelines say this. The alarming rise in obesity rates in the USA increases the risk and incidence of premature death, especially as a result of heart disease, diabetes type two and some types of cancer. Lowering bad levels of cholesterol helps reduce the risk, but rising obesity raises the risk. Health officials say that if every adult took statins, heart disease would still be the leading cause of death in the USA - because of overweight and obesity.

Over the last forty years total cholesterol levels have fallen from 222 milligrams to 203 milligrams - this is for both men and women (average). The largest drop has been in older people. For those over 60, the drop has been from 232 to 204 (men) and 263 to 223 (women).

Over the last 15 years the number of adult Americans using statins has risen from 3% to 9%.

What have not gone down are levels of triglycerides. High triglycerides levels are linked to a higher risk of heart disease. The fatter a person is, the higher his/her triglyceride levels are.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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