Cholesterol Is Hitting New Lows for Americans

Americans are winning the cholesterol war, according to a major yardstick of the nation's health.

Data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) showed to a significant average decline in total serum cholesterol and in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from 1988-1994 to 1999-2002. These findings were revealed in a report in the Oct. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Driven by significant and substantial declines in total and LDL cholesterol levels in men 60 or older and women 50 or older, the total cholesterol levels fell from 206 mg/dL to 203 mg/dL (P=0.009). The LDL levels declined from 129 mg/dL to 123 mg/dL (P<0.001).

But the downward trend was not seen in younger adults and there were no significant changes in mean high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, wrote Margaret D. Carroll, M.S.P.H., and colleagues of the National Center for Health Statistics here, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute in Bethesda, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
The HDL cholesterol is a test that measures the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in serum.

How the test is performed

Blood is drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The puncture site is cleaned with antiseptic. An elastic band is placed around the upper arm to apply pressure and cause the vein to swell with blood.

A needle is inserted into the vein, and the blood is collected in an air-tight vial or a syringe. During the procedure, the band is removed to restore circulation. Once the blood has been collected, the needle is removed, and the puncture site is covered to stop any bleeding.
More information: HDL cholesterol

Triglyceride levels in adults age 20 or older increased from an average of 118 mg/dL in 1988-1994 to 123 mg/dL in 1999-2002, but this was not significant.

In 1988-1994 20% of adult Americans had total cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or more but by 1999-2002 only 17% of adults had total cholesterol levels in that range.

NHANES measured serum lipids in samples from 6,098 to 15,719 adults who participated in NHANES surveys conducted 1960-1962, 1971-1974, 1976-1980, 1988-1994, and 1999-2002.

LDL cholesterol
This is a test that measures the amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in serum.

Cholesterol levels are determined through chemical analysis of a blood sample taken from a finger prick or from a vein in the arm. Home cholesterol kits, first approved in 1993, test only for total cholesterol levels but are as accurate as tests done in a doctor's office, says Steven Gutman, M.D., director of FDA's division of clinical laboratory devices.More information: