However, he believes that patients deserve to be informed about the benefits and risks of diet and stress-reduction strategies as compared with other treatments. Lipid researcher Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, concurs but favors a much more moderate approach to fat reduction. The response has been excellent. Both Lichtenstein and dietitian Donna Graesser, a member of the American Dietetic Association's health care financing team, think that patients might see better results with dietary therapy if given the chance to learn how to make healthy food choices in the context of their own way of living, something that would require more than one 10-minute discussion with a health professional. As compelling as the evidence about diet seems, Smith finds that choosing the best course of treatment for a patient with hyperlipidemia is still a dilemma.
Different patients respond differently to diet.
Some are able to restrict fat, and others have difficulty making changes. If patients cannot or will not make changes in diet, drugs may be necessary, he says. Another consideration, says Smith, is each patient's risk profile. According to Smith, these trials have shifted attention toward drugs. But not everyone is a candidate for drug therapy, he cautions.