OKLAHOMA: NIH-funded study highlights importance of cholesterol screenings and education (featuring University of Oklahoma)
More than 70% of American Indian young adults aged 20-39 and 50% of American Indian teens have cholesterol levels(link is external) or elevated fat in the blood that put them at risk for cardiovascular disease, suggests a study supported by the NIH. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, came from a 19-year-review of the Strong Heart Family Study, part of the Strong Heart Study — the largest study of cardiovascular health outcomes and risk factors among American Indian adults.
“We were surprised about the numbers, especially in adolescents,” said Jessica A. Reese, PhD, an epidemiologist in the Center for American Indian Health Research at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. “These findings show the importance of early screenings and interventions, especially for teens and young adults who may be more likely to have underlying cardiovascular risks, diabetes, or chronic liver disease.”
The researchers defined a person’s cholesterol(link is external) as abnormal if they had either high total cholesterol; high LDL cholesterol or other types of “bad” cholesterol; moderately-high triglycerides; low HDL cholesterol, often thought of as “good cholesterol”; or if they had been prescribed cholesterol-lowering medication.
About 40% of study participants had high LDL levels (at least 100 mg/dL), while nearly 3% had very high levels (at least 160 mg/dL). However, less than 2% of participants with very high LDL cholesterol took cholesterol-lowering medication at the start of the study.
“This research supports efforts to identify ways, such as increased screenings and culturally relevant education, to improve heart health and support younger generations of Native Americans,” said Mona Puggal, M.P.H., an epidemiologist in the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of NIH.