Why Is There Such a Discrepancy in the Treatment of High Cholesterol?

If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, it is not the end of the world. Actually, there are many people around the country who are dealing with the same issues that you are right now. While there may not be as many people suffering from high cholesterol today as there once were, it is still a fairly common problem for people in the United States. In order to be diagnosed with high cholesterol, your levels need to be above 200 mg/dL.

As you discuss your options with your primary health care provider, you’ll learn that there are a variety of medications available for this medical condition. Actually, one of the most surprising aspects of this scenario is that no two people with high cholesterol are ever treated the exact same way. Basically, what may have worked for one person’s bad cholesterol levels will not work for the next person.

What Creates This Discrepancy?

Clinical studies have shown that some people can keep their cholesterol levels in the healthy range just by making certain adjustments to their lifestyle (such as a healthier diet and getting more regular exercise). On the other hand, living a healthy overall lifestyle may not be enough for some people. But why? Well, clinical investigators have discovered that this discrepancy arises from how the human body naturally produces and then absorbs cholesterol. Since no two human beings are exactly alike, the appropriate course of treatment can differ quite a bit from case to case.

According to many health care experts, an effective high cholesterol treatment needs to be tailored to the individual patient based on specific sources of cholesterol within their body. As we have discovered, the human body is uniquely able to produce cholesterol, so the other main source of cholesterol is your diet.

Two Factors Determine Cholesterol Levels

When you go in to have your cholesterol levels checked, your results will depend on how quickly your body is able to metabolize the excess cholesterol that is either consumed or produced. Some people can metabolize large quantities of cholesterol easily, while others may struggle with only moderate levels. While this may seem unfair, it is similar to how the body is able to metabolize fat. We all know people who can eat whatever they want without having to worry about it, and then there are those who really struggle with their slow metabolism.

A Healthier Diet May Not Be Enough

Interestingly, high cholesterol clinical trials have shown that a lot of people actually get most of their cholesterol from what their bodies produce on their own, instead of through their diet. Unfortunately, this means that actually trying to limit cholesterol levels through diet alone won’t have a major impact on your overall levels if your body naturally produces a large amount of cholesterol on its own. Those individuals may be better served taking some form of high cholesterol medication.

To avoid any confusion, it is still a good idea to maintain a diet that is lower in cholesterol, since diets that are high in saturated fats do play a key role in the development of high cholesterol. If you were diagnosed with high cholesterol, then you may want to consider combining certain medications such as statins with a healthy diet and more active lifestyle in order to achieve the best results possible. Steps like these represent a novel way to reduce your overall cholesterol levels.

High Cholesterol Misconceptions Also Affect Treatment

In the past, it was commonly believed that medical conditions like heart disease and high cholesterol mainly affected the aging male population. As a result of this misconception, women who did in fact have high cholesterol went untreated far too often. Nowadays, doctors understand that these conditions affect just as many women, just in a different way than men. At this time, the leading killer of men and women in the U.S. is heart disease.

Before, women were not often prescribed statins or other forms of high cholesterol medication, but things are now much different. Currently, female patients who are determined to have unhealthy cholesterol levels are treated with the same level of urgency as any male patients with hypercholesterolemia.