Total cholesterol levels have decreased in middle-aged to older adults but are rising among younger adults, according to a survey reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
The Minnesota Heart Survey (MHS), an ongoing population-based surveillance of trends in heart disease among 2,500 to 5,000 adults in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, mirrors national trends. It has assessed 20-year trends in the incidence of high cholesterol, cholesterol-lowering drug use, and cholesterol awareness, treatment and control from l980-2002.Overall, the age-adjusted average total cholesterol levels in the 1980–82 survey were:
- 212 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or 5.49 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) for men and
- 208 mg/dL (5.38 mmol/L) for women.
In 2000–02, the levels dropped to