Fact or Fiction: What Do You Really Know About Cholesterol?

If you’re confused about cholesterol, you’re not alone. New cholesterol guidelines from heart health experts have recently changed the way health care providers manage cholesterol. Now’s a great time to catch up — and separate fact from fiction

Myth #1: Your cholesterol level determines whether you should take cholesterol medication.

Fact: Your overall heart health risk determines whether you should take cholesterol medication.

If this myth sounds familiar, it’s because that was the old-school way of managing cholesterol. Before, if your cholesterol was high, your provider would prescribe a medication to lower it and then check your blood regularly to make sure that your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol stayed under a certain target level.

Myth #2: Statin cholesterol medications lower the likelihood of heart attack, stroke and death for anyone who takes them.

Fact: The higher your cardiovascular risk, the more you’ll benefit from taking a statin. For people with good heart health, the side effects of statins usually outweigh the benefits.Statin medications lower the likelihood of heart attack, stroke and death for people with high cardiovascular risk, regardless of their cholesterol levels.

Myth #3: A heart-healthy diet means eating less fat.

Fact: Eating healthy fat is better for your heart than eating less fat.

A heart-healthy diet means eating real food and less processed, packaged, and fast food.