Citing results from five recent trials of anticholesterol drugs called statins, U.S. health officials recommend that physicians treat people more aggressively for high cholesterol. The new guidelines set the lowest targets so far for blood concentrations of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or bad cholesterol. They call for statin therapy and other interventions, such as exercise, to reduce LDL by 30 to 40 percent in people who are considered to have moderate-to-high risk of having a heart attack.
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