They excluded men who had been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, had suffered a stroke, or who were taking cholesterol-lowering drugs. They were followed until 1996, and 145 new cases of coronary heart disease developed during this period. However, this study questions how aggressive physicians should be in attempting to lower cholesterol below 200 in this age group. It may not be healthy to drive cholesterol far below this level, and it is important that more clinical trials that include elderly people are conducted to clarify this issue. The team also considered weight loss of 10 percent or more during the past 20 years.
Body weight is a measure of frailty and a possible sign of deteriorating health.
Factoring in weight loss slightly reduced the heart risks for men at the high and low ends of the cholesterol reading. Curb says it is unlikely that the new cholesterol findings are unique to Japanese-American men, although the researchers could not absolutely rule out the possibility. We really haven t found many differences between the risk factors for Japanese and other ethnic groups. All rights reserved. All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions.