HYATTSVILLE, Md., April 4 (UPI) -- From the 1970s to 1994, U.S. adults eating a diet low in saturated fat rose from 25 percent to 41 percent, but little changed through 2010, officials say.
A report by the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found an increased percentage of adults met guidelines for low saturated-fat intake from the 1976-80 period to 1988-94, but the percentage remained unchanged from the 1988-94 period to 2007-10.
Dr. Elena V. Kuklina, Margaret D. Carroll, Kate M. Shaw and Dr. Rosemarie Hirsch found the percentage of adults using cholesterol-lowering medication increased from 5 percent in the late 1980s to 23 percent through 2007-10.
Each year, more than 2 million Americans suffer from acute cardiovascular events that account for about one-fourth of the total cost of inpatient hospital care. Control of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol has been shown to substantially reduce cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. High LDL can be managed with lifestyle changes, medications, or a combination of these approaches, the study authors reported.
A diet low in saturated fat is recognized as one of the most effective lifestyle changes to decrease high LDL, they said.
