Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. adults without heart disease have LDL levels above the goals set by the newly released 2026 guidelines, a Mass General Brigham study found.
The study, published July 20 in JAMA, used the new cardiovascular risk calculator and lower LDL treatment goals introduced in the 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guideline. Researchers applied the guidelines to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2021 to 2023 for about 2,300 adults aged 30 to 79 years. Under the new guidelines, the recommended LDL level in the blood varies according to a person’s cardiovascular risk. The higher a person’s overall risk, the lower their LDL should be.
Here is what to know.
1. About 83% of adults who have already had a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular event have LDL levels above goal. Roughly half of them had not received any cholesterol-lowering medication.
2. Among adults without heart disease who were above target, about 76% had not received any cholesterol-lowering medication.
3. Among patients with established heart disease, 4 of 5 were above the recommended goal and 62% were already receiving cholesterol-lowering therapy without reaching the lower targets. The remaining 38% received no treatment at all.
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