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Cholesterol levels are on the decline

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Despite the fact that obesity rates continue to rise, a new study has found that the prevalence of cholesterol testing has helped individuals significantly reduce their cholesterol levels since the mid 1970s, according to HealthDay News.

American's heart health is generally trending downward. The number of obese individuals continues to climb and a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that diabetes rates are set to skyrocket. Therefore, cardiologists and their patients will take good news wherever they can get it.

The findings of decreasing cholesterol levels were made by a team of researchers from St. Louis University. Investigators examined the results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey going back to 1976. They found that the average daily intake of cholesterol dropped from 210 milligrams to 200.

"This analysis of NHANES data from 1976 to 1980 to 1999 to 2006 shows that total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels have decreased toward a desirable range for the total and age-adjusted samples," the researchers wrote in their report, according to the news source. "The large increase in lipid-altering pharmacotherapy use is a likely contributor to this downward trend."