The NCEP (National Cholesterol Education Program) updated guidelines issued in 2001 that had suggested ideal LDL (also called as bad cholesterol) level of less than 100.

The recommendations have been based on some new data that showed that benefits of cholesterol lowering continue even if we lower the LDL below 100 (the recommend level prior to the new update).

  A quick look at the new guidelines might suggest a target LDL of less than 70 for everyone. If that was the case, almost everyone will need to be on cholesterol lowering medicines.

  Here is a closer look at the recommendations:

1. The LDL level of less than 100 is still the target to shoot for.

2. The level of less than 70 will be desirable in people at high risk for vascular disease. Those people could be: ones with diabetes, with history of blockages of heart arteries and any other vascular disease including peripheral vascular disease, current smokers etc. The guidelines do not suggest 70 as the desirable number in everyone. The health care providers will need to evaluate risk for vascular disease on a case-to-case basis to decide on the desirable LDL level in a given person.

3. The research does support using statins (one group of cholesterol lowering medicines) in patients with heart attack even if the cholesterol level is normal.

Some data suggests that we should shoot for decreasing LDL by 30-40 percent in persons at moderate to high risk for coronary artery disease

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