Radio
New Cholesterol Guidelines Prompts Action
Source: NBN / CP RadioWire
Jul 14, 2004, 14:56

With new cholesterol guidelines just released by the Federal government, millions of Americans are being advised that they need to lower their cholesterol levels even further than they originally thought. 
 
The National Cholesterol Education Program is making a drastic change in its guidelines on L-D-L cholesterol.  They now urge people with a moderate risk for heart disease to take action to push the so called "bad cholesterol" below 100.  And for people at high risk, such as those with diabetes or existing heart disease, the new L-D-L target is now below 70.  The guidelines suggest millions of people may need to consider taking statin medications, such as Crestor(R), in addition to exercising and managing their diet to get their cholesterol down.  Doctor Christie Ballantyne is a leading expert in cholesterol management:
 
"If someone's at high risk, we treat them aggressively right off the start - we start them on a highly effective statin at a dose that gets someone quickly to their target."

It's estimated that fewer than half of people who should be taking statins are on the medication.   People who don't know their L-D-L cholesterol level should consider checking with a doctor about what it is and what to do about it.

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