Cholesterol is one of the main contributors to heart and vascular disease in the world. The Framingham Study showed us several decades ago that there was a link between high cholesterol and heart disease. High cholesterol remains one of the major risks for heart attacks and stroke. Although it appears to be mostly the bad cholesterol (LDL) or a lack of the good cholesterol (HDL) that leads to artery hardening, the total cholesterol remains the number most people think of when discussing the this issue.
Unfortunately, most of the cholesterol in our body is made by our liver rather than related to the amount of cholesterol we eat. Foods high in saturated fats (usually fats from animal products) are the main building blocks of cholesterol. Our genetic makeup triggers the production of the total amount and the sub-components. Although we don’t have control over what is in our genes, we have new medicines that can block the production in our liver or reduce our absorption from our intestines. Many products are made for this problem, but none work as well as “statin†drugs like Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, Mevacor, or Pravachol. This group of drugs not only reduces cholesterol more effectively that other groups or diet, but there are added reductions in heart attack rates not fully explained by the cholesterol reduction alone. Generic forms of these drugs are often available and work about as well as the brands they replace. The differences among these are potency and small differences in outcome, but they all work really well.
For reading more on The Web about treating, testing, and evaluating your cholesterol SBFMG recommends WEBMD.COM and the NCEP (National Cholesterol Education Program) sponsored by The National Institute of Health and The American Heart Association.