Thursday, September 20, 2007
Once you have identified which main risk factors you have and have calculated your 10yr heart attack risk, you can then determine what your target LDL should be using the following chart. Remember that having a high HDL > 60mg/dl actually takes away one of your total risk factors.
Although we know that LDL is not the only cholesterol component to affect heart disease risk, it is the most important and well studied. Treatment of LDL to goal is the primary objective with HDL and triglycerides levels as secondary objectives. My next article will talk about ways in which to achieve your target cholesterol levels without having to take medication.
