Trending Now - Rising Call for Early Cholesterol Screening and Statin Use
WHO:
Dr. Roger Blumenthal, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, chaired the guideline writing committee.
Dr. Steven Nissen, chief academic officer of the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic, commented on the guidelines.
American College of Cardiology
American Heart Association
Dr. Jennifer Haythe, co-director of the Women’s Heart Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Drs. Pam Morris and Roger Blumenthal, authors of the updated guideline
Dr. Steven Nissen, chief academic officer of the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic
Gigi Gari Campos, heart health advocate
WHAT:
The updated guideline recommends that statin therapy is suggested for adults as young as 30 with an LDL cholesterol of 160 milligrams per deciliter or higher.
The updated guideline emphasizes that the goal for LDL cholesterol should be less than 100 milligrams per deciliter for those at borderline or intermediate risk and less than 55 milligrams per deciliter for those at high risk.
The updated guidelines will potentially extend consideration of statin therapy to several million additional Americans.
The updated guideline recommends that all adults be tested once for lipoprotein(a), a genetic risk marker for heart disease.
The guidelines call for wider use of coronary calcium scoring, a noninvasive scan that measures calcified plaque in the arteries.
It is estimated that 25% of adults in the U.S. have high levels of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL), which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The updated guideline emphasizes that cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins, could be considered even for patients with relatively low risk if their overall lifetime risk profile supports it.
New guidelines recommend cholesterol screening and treatment for adults as young as 30.
Statin therapy is recommended for adults with an LDL cholesterol of 160 milligrams per deciliter or higher.
The updated guideline is a 123-page document.
Approximately 65 to 70 million people in the U.S. are ages 30 to 44.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with one person dying from cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds.
Gigi Campos had a heart attack at age 34.
Campos reduced her total cholesterol from around 400 milligrams per deciliter to less than 100.
Campos' LDL cholesterol is now in the 20s.
WHERE:
United States
NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Cleveland Clinic, Ohio
Florida (Gigi Campos' location)
WHEN:
The updated guidelines were released on March 11th, 2026.
The updated guideline was released on March 11th, 2026.
Gigi Campos had her heart attack in 2023.
Campos is currently 37 years old.
WHY:
The guidelines aim to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by treating high cholesterol earlier, acknowledging that 80% or more of cardiovascular disease is preventable.
The guidelines aim to expand the tools doctors use to assess cardiovascular risk, as cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.
The guidelines aim to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by treating high cholesterol earlier.
A shift to 30-year risk projections is emphasized to better assess long-term cardiovascular risk.
HOW:
The updated guidelines recommend using the American Heart Association’s Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease EVENTs or PREVENT online calculator to evaluate cardiovascular disease risk over 10 years and 30 years.
The updated guidelines encourage health care providers to use a risk assessment tool called PREVENT, which can project a patient's 10-year and 30-year risk of heart disease to help guide decisions about starting medication.
The updated guideline recommends using the American Heart Association’s Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease EVENTs or PREVENT online calculator.
Statins work by lowering LDL cholesterol, which can build up in the arteries over time.
(UPDATED March 14, 2026 11:03 UTC)
On March 11, 2026, updated guidelines were released recommending that statin therapy be considered for adults as young as 30 with an LDL cholesterol level of 160 milligrams per deciliter or higher, potentially extending treatment to millions more Americans. Dr. Roger Blumenthal, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins, chaired the committee that developed these guidelines, while Dr. Steven Nissen from the Cleveland Clinic highlighted the importance of targeting LDL cholesterol levels below 100 for those at borderline risk and below 55 for those at high risk. The guidelines aim to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by encouraging earlier treatment of high cholesterol, as over 80 percent of cardiovascular diseases are preventable.
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(UPDATED March 14, 2026 05:22 UTC)
Today, updated guidelines recommend that all adults be tested once for lipoprotein(a), a genetic marker linked to heart disease, and call for broader use of coronary calcium scoring to assess arterial plaque. With an estimated 25% of U.S. adults having high levels of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, the guidelines suggest that statins may be considered even for those with relatively low risk if their lifetime risk profile indicates it. These changes aim to enhance the tools available for doctors to evaluate cardiovascular risk, as heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the country.
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(UPDATED March 13, 2026 23:10 UTC)
New guidelines released on March 11, 2026, by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend cholesterol screening and treatment for adults as young as 30, emphasizing the importance of addressing high cholesterol earlier to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The updated 123-page document suggests that adults with an LDL cholesterol level of 160 milligrams per deciliter or higher should consider statin therapy, a recommendation supported by experts including Dr. Jennifer Haythe and Dr. Steven Nissen. Heart health advocate Gigi Gari Campos, who experienced a heart attack at 34, successfully lowered her cholesterol from around 400 to less than 100, highlighting the potential impact of these new guidelines on millions of Americans aged 30 to 44.