LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), known as `bad` cholesterol, is the underlying reason why many apparently healthy individuals have heart attacks or strokes during middle age despite not having cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, smoking, obesity, dyslipidemia or diabetes. Even at levels considered normal, LDL-C, after age and male sex, is the main predictor of the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries. This is the finding of research conducted at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) and published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). The results of the new study, led by CNIC Director Dr. Valentín Fuster, support the use of more aggressive strategies to reduce LDL-C, including for individuals considered at minimum risk. Fortunately, LDL-C is the main risk factor that can be modified in order to avoid the appearance of atherosclerotic plaques.
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