[The facts about cholesterol (condensed translation and comments of the common declaration of AHA and NHLBI)].

Many epidemiological and experimental studies have confirmed the continuous positive relationship between serum cholesterol levels and coronary risk. Therapeutic trials have demonstrated that the lowering of serum cholesterol by diet or drugs can lower this coronary risk. The benefits have been shown in men and women, the young and old, in those with a high coronary risk due to raised serum cholesterol and LDL and those with only moderately increased risk. In addition, therapeutic interventions on serum cholesterol are cost-effective. These observations more than justify the present national program of lowering the serum cholesterol.