Americans' cholesterol levels are dropping, and more people at especially high risk are getting treatment.
The Alabama team examined records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that tracked cholesterol information from more than 32,000 adults between 2005 and 2016.
Among people taking cholesterol medication, the average level of that"bad" cholesterol — what's known as LDL cholesterol — dropped 21 points over the study period, the researchers reported in theTotal cholesterol levels and another fat known as triglycerides likewise decreased. "These are surprisingly impressive results" that together predict a 15 percent to 20 percent reduction in risk of heart attacks and strokes, said Dr. Michael Miller, preventive cardiology chief at the University of Maryland Medical Center, who wasn't involved with the study.
Moreover, there was an uptick in statin use by people with diabetes over the study period, from less than half to over 60 percent getting one. Diabetics are particularly vulnerable to heart attacks and tend to have poorer outcomes.
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