What is the Ideal Cholesterol Level?
How low should a person’s cholesterol be to prevent or
reverse heart disease? If you’ve been to your doctor
lately you may have been shocked to find that he wants your
cholesterol level lower than ever.
It’s true. Although the National Cholesterol Education
Program (NCEP) guidelines set up by the Federal Government
previously had determined that a bad cholesterol level (LDL)
of 100mg/dl should be the target goal for people with heart
disease or two or more serious risk factors: diabetes, vascular
disease, smoking––the target is moving again.
In the past two years new medical evidence has emerged
that if we want to keep people healthy our serum cholesterol
should
be much lower than we previously thought.
Doctors have observed that native people in the Arctic
Circle, Africa, and Australia often have LDL cholesterol
levels of
50-75mg/dl, and they have no heart disease. Whereas
the typical American male’s LDL cholesterol will run 130mg/dl and
by age 50, more than 40% of people will have dangerous heart
blockages.
Now medical research is suggesting that if we want
to remain healthy our cholesterol levels need to
be reduced.
The PROVE-IT study was a large, scale clinical trial
in which participants who had heart blockages were
asked to
lower their
cholesterol much lower than the NCEP guidelines.
Participants in the study who used a higher dose
of Atorvastatin (Lipitor 80mg) lowered their LDL
cholesterol
to an average
of 62mg/dl. This was compared to a second group
of patients who used a normal dose of a common cholesterol
lowering
medication (Both medications work within the liver
to block the body’s
manufacture of cholesterol).
When LDL cholesterol was lower the benefit was
much greater. Patients with the lower LDL had
25% fewer
heart attacks,
deaths, and return visits to the hospital.
Many other research studies support
the finding that when it comes to our LDL cholesterol––lower
is better. The Ideal Cholesterol is different for different
people. For someone with heart disease, diabetes,
or two or
more risk factors
for heart disease, the serum LDL concentration
needs to be exceedingly low.
Talk to your doctor to determine what is your
ideal cholesterol.
Kirk Laman, D.O.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic
Medicine.
