Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School are taking a new spin on treating high cholesterol in the prevention of heart disease. Rather than administering and dosing statins according to the widely-recommended National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines, they are using a more individually-tailored dosing regimen – with good results.
This study, which included roughly 4500 participants, used two methods in dosing statins: a “target-to-treat” approach, which closely followed the NCEP guidelines and a “tailored” approach, which dosed statins based upon overall risk of cardiovascular disease. The researchers found that the “tailored” approach to dosing statins not only reduced a patient's risk of suffering from a cardiovascular event (such as a heart attack or stroke) – this regimen also improved quality of life.
The “tailored” treatment approach does appear promising, especially since it addresses modifying risk factors such as smoking, diet, and family history in its decision to administer and dose statins. While cholesterol-lowering medications are important in reducing your risk of heart disease if you have a family history of heart attacks and high cholesterol, other very important risk factors – such as high blood pressure, diabetes, poor diet, and smoking – should also be addressed and treated. More studies would be needed, however, especially if this new method is going to be implemented into the guidelines anytime in the future.
This study was published in the January 19th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Reference: Xtend Life Fish Oil
Tags: fish oil
donent