Cholesterol is a type of fat found in the blood that plays a crucial role in the body. It helps build cells and make hormones, but too much cholesterol, especially the wrong type, can clog arteries and lead to heart problems like heart attacks or strokes.
A new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights the current state of cholesterol levels among American adults. The findings, based on data from 2021 to 2023, reveal that high cholesterol is still a significant issue for many people.
According to the report, about one in ten adults in the United States—11.3%—has high levels of total cholesterol. This rate has remained steady over the past few years, even though cholesterol-lowering medications like statins have been widely used since the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Statins have been effective in lowering cholesterol levels for many, but their impact seems to have leveled off in recent years.
The study found little difference between men and women in the prevalence of high total cholesterol. About 10.6% of men and 11.9% of women were affected.
The data comes from a large, ongoing federal survey that examines the health of Americans, making it one of the most reliable sources for tracking cholesterol trends.
One encouraging finding is that fewer people now have very low levels of HDL cholesterol, which is often called “good” cholesterol.
HDL helps remove excess cholesterol from the blood, reducing the risk of artery blockage. In 2021–2023, about 13.8% of adults had low HDL levels, a big improvement compared to 22.2% in 2007–2008.
However, cholesterol levels can vary by age and gender. Middle-aged adults (ages 40 to 59) were the most likely to have high total cholesterol, with about 16.7% affected. Surprisingly, this number dropped to 11.3% among adults aged 60 and older.
While age usually increases the risk of high cholesterol, it’s possible that older adults are more likely to take medications or follow heart-healthy lifestyles.
For low HDL cholesterol, men were more affected than women. About 21.5% of men had low levels of HDL compared to only 6.6% of women. This difference may be linked to estrogen, a hormone in women that helps boost HDL levels.
However, after menopause, when estrogen levels drop, women may see an increase in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and a decrease in HDL.
Dr. Leslie Cho, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, explains that these changes can lead to fat and cholesterol buildup in arteries, raising the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
To understand the numbers better, the report defined high total cholesterol as a level of 240 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher.
Low HDL cholesterol was defined as 40 mg/dL or lower. These benchmarks help doctors identify people at risk and recommend lifestyle changes or treatments.
Overall, the report shows progress in some areas, like the reduction in low HDL levels, but high total cholesterol remains a common problem.
Regular exercise, a balanced diet low in saturated fats, and medications like statins can all help manage cholesterol levels. Still, these findings remind us that more work is needed to improve heart health nationwide.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and Vitamin C linked to lower risk of heart failure.
The research findings can be found in the National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief.
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