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<< Previous   of   Next >> Dan Bates / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Neil Melvin receives an electrocardiogram from respiratory therapist Rebecca Rose at Providence Everett Medical Center. (click to enlarge) In a high-tech machine, blood will be tested for cholesterol as well as fats, both good and bad. Dan Bates / The Herald  (click to enlarge) In a high-tech machine at Providence Everett Medical Center, blood samples are tested for cholesterol as well as a host of fats, both good and bad that can have a major impact on health.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, December 28, 2007 Average cholesterol levels falling, but many still at risk By Sharon Salyer Herald Writer When Boeing Co. worker Lawrence Org was first tested in 2004, his total cholesterol levels topped out at 288. After struggling with the problem for three years, Org, now retired, was put on Zocor, a cholesterol-lowering drug. Follow-up tests this year showed his total cholesterol had dropped by about half to 132, making him an example of a national trend of declining cholesterol levels. For the first time in nearly 50 years, the average total cholesterol levels for adults have dropped to 199, despite rising obesity rates, according to a recent report by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When the survey began in 1960, the average cholesterol was 222. However, one local doctor questioned whether the news was cause for celebration. If patients think cholesterol levels of around 200 are optimal "that's certainly not the case," said Dr. Dave Stewart, medical director of cardiac prevention and rehabilitation for Providence Everett Medical Center. "I would say the fact that it's coming down is good," Stewart said of declining cholesterol levels. Anti-cholesterol medications, called statins, have proved to be very effective, he said, but patients could be misled if they think that dropping total cholesterol to around 200 will help guarantee good health, he said. "To me, it's like you have a tire on your car and you've worn off 90 percent" of the tread, he said. "That tire will still drive you around, but sooner or later, it will blow." By age 50, about 80 percent of people will have some plaque in their arteries that can lead to ruptures and cause heart attacks, he said. "We've been recommending lower and lower cholesterol for a long time," he said, with many experts pushing for 150 as a better indicator of truly healthy total cholesterol levels. "People are getting heart attacks when they think they're doing everything right," Stewart said. "They just didn't know." Diet plays a major role in cholesterol levels, with foods rich in saturated fats blamed for boosting cholesterol. Weight loss can help reduce cholesterol. People can be screened for cholesterol at medical clinics and at health fairs. Providence Everett Medical Center offers the test as part of a healthy heart exam for $50. About 28 percent of the 2,600 people Providence tested over the past seven years have been found to have cholesterol levels that require treatment, including Org. Org said it was his wife who encouraged him to get the test in 2004. "We thought we should get it checked out," the Issaquah resident said. Another in the battery of tests patients receive showed that Org had atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart's chambers don't beat effectively. If not controlled with medications, it puts patients at high risk for stroke. Dr. Peter Sutcliffe, a heart specialist for The Everett Clinic, welcomed the news of the national decline in cholesterol rates. The downturn was most pronounced in men over 40 and women over 60, he said. This trend is most likely caused by increasing use of cholesterol-lowering statins, he said. But only about half the people with high cholesterol are on cholesterol-lowering drugs, he said. And 8 percent of adults with high cholesterol have never been told they have the problem, he said. Slightly more than half of women between the ages of 20 and 39 are screened for cholesterol, he said, compared with just 41 percent of men in this age group. Cholesterol is only one of many risk factors for coronary disease, Sutcliffe said. Smoking, diet, family history and high blood pressure also play significant roles. Overall, the national decline in cholesterol levels, "is really good sign," Sutcliffe said. "But there's still a lot of room to go." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Herald reporter Sharon Salyer at 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.

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