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Article: Cholesterol levels fall in older Americans
- Article from:
- Charleston Gazette
- Article date:
- October 12, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2005 Charleston Gazette. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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CHICAGO - Despite the sharp rise in obesity in the United States,
cholesterol levels in older Americans have fallen markedly over the
past 40 years, mainly because of the introduction of statin drugs in
the late 1980s, a government study found.
Statins - which include such widely used medicines as Lipitor,
Zocor and Pravachol - can dramatically reduce levels of LDL
cholesterol, the bad kind that can clog arteries and lead to heart
attacks. The drop in Americans' overall cholesterol levels resulted
from a decline in LDL.
Between 1960 and 2002, average total cholesterol levels for men
and women ages 20 to 74 dropped from 222 milligrams per deciliter of
blood to 203, mostly because of declines ...