On average, however, most patients achieve reductions in total cholesterol of about 2-6 percent after modifying their lifestyles. All men aged 35 and older and all women aged 45 and older should be screened routinely for lipid disorders to find out whether their cholesterol levels increase their risk for heart disease. Younger adults should be screened for lipid disorders if they are otherwise at risk for heart disease. Clinicians should consider overall risk of heart disease in making treatment decisions. Many men and women, especially those at highest risk, may need medications to best control their lipid abnormalities.
Drug treatment is usually more effective than dietary changes alone for reducing total cholesterol.
R.N. Steven M. Teutsch, M.D., M.P.H. Carolyn Westhoff, M.D., M.Sc. Steven H. Woolf, M.D., M.P.H. AHRQ Publication No.