Trying to stay healthy can seem like a full-time job sometimes,

especially with all the conflicting information that's out there.

But I'm here to make that job a little easier.

Welcome to the Nutrition Facts podcast.

I'm your host, Dr. Michael Greger.

Since there's benefit to getting our LDL cholesterol as low as possible, why aren't

statin drugs prescribed for everyone?

Here's our first story.

LDL cholesterol, also known as bad cholesterol, is unequivocally recognized as the principal

driving force in the development of atherosclerotic

cardiovascular disease, our leading cause of death.

Over the decades, we have seen the guidelines shift to lower and lower LDL targets

on the basis of clinical trials demonstrating that lower is better.

Starting in the 1980s with an LDL target of 130, then down to

100 in the 90s and maybe down to 70 for those at really high risk, then maybe even down

to 55, 40 or 30 over the last decade. Those more recent targets might actually be closer

to normal for the human species.

Even after we learn to use tools so we could hunt, Norma LDL has been in the 50 to 70 range.

But today, the average in the Western world is more like 120 milligrams per deciliter.

No wonder heart disease is our leading cause of death in men and women.

Recently, guidelines started scrapping targets in favor of just pushing for LDL levels to be as low as possible,

because the lower the better. No threshold seems to exist below which L.

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