on PinterestNew AHA guidelines focus on earlier cholesterol screening and treatment.
on PinterestNew AHA guidelines focus on earlier cholesterol screening and treatment. Image Credit: Olga Pankova/Getty Images
- The American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and nine other leading medical organizations have issued new guidelines for the management of dyslipidemia.
- Dyslipidemia is abnormal levels of various lipids and lipoproteins in the blood, including cholesterol and triglycerides.
- The new guidelines replace the 2018 AHA/ACC Guidelines on the Management of Blood Cholesterol.
- A key update is the focus on the AHA PREVENT-ASCVD equations.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and nine other leading medical organizations recently released the new guidelines for treating and managing dyslipidemia.
The updated guidelines reflect the evolving understanding of the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) associated with atherogenic lipoproteins beyond low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). This includes triglyceride-rich remnant particles and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)].
The 2026 Guideline on the Management of Dyslipidemia replaces the 2018 AHA/ACC Guidelines on the Management of Blood Cholesterol. Dyslipidemia is defined as abnormal levels of various lipids or lipoproteins in the blood. This includes triglycerides and cholesterol.
“We know 80% or more of cardiovascular disease is preventable and elevated LDL cholesterol, sometimes referred to as ‘bad’ cholesterol, is a major part of that risk,” Roger Blumenthal, MD, chair of the guideline writing committee, director of the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, and the Kenneth J. Pollin professor of cardiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, said in a press release.
“While we want to try to optimize healthy lifestyle habits as the first step to lower cholesterol, we realize that if lipid numbers aren’t within the desirable range after a period of lifestyle optimization, we should consider adding lipid-lowering medication earlier than we would have considered 10 years ago. And lower LDL cholesterol for longer, just like lower blood pressure for longer, results in much greater protection against future heart attack and stroke risk,” Pollin continued.
A ‘one-stop shop’ for assessing, treating lipids
About 1 in 4 U.S. adults has high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), which can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
“It’s important to pay attention to lipids because they can provide clues about what’s happening metabolically in the body,” Jack Wolfson, DO, a cardiologist and founder of Natural Heart Doctor, told Healthline. Wolfson wasn’t involved in the new guidelines.
“When someone has an abnormal lipid pattern, it often reflects deeper issues like insulin resistance, inflammation, oxidative stress, nutrient deficiencies, or toxin exposure,” Wolfson said. “Addressing those factors improves overall health.”
The updated cholesterol guidelines consolidate evidence-based recommendations into a single document, offering comprehensive guidance on assessing and treating various blood lipids. This can effectively lower a person’s risk of developing ASCVD.
ASCVD results from the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries and is a leading cause of death globally.
“[These] reinforce what we already know — the longer your LDL is higher, the greater your risk of atherosclerotic heart disease,” said Karishma Patwa, MD, a board certified cardiologist
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