Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School and VA Ann Arbor Health System say healthcare providers should take a more complete look at an individual’s risk factors for heart disease and stroke before prescribing cholesterol-lowering statin medications to treat high cholesterol.

The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests that doctors should tailor high cholesterol treatments based on individuals’ risk factors including age, family history, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking status and C-reactive protein (CRP).

"We’ve been worrying too much about people’s cholesterol level and not enough about their overall risk of heart disease," said researcher Dr. Rodney Hayward. "The bottom line message is that knowing your overall heart attack risk is more important than knowing your cholesterol level."

Researchers studied data from statin trials that included Americans aged 30-75 with no history of heart attack. They found that the benefit of five years of tailored treatment was more efficient and prevented substantially more heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths than the currently recommended approach of prescribing cholesterol-lowering medications.

The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends harmful LDL cholesterol levels should be less than 130 for most people. High risk patients should be pushed even lower – to less than 70.

Experts say lifestyle changes such as eating a healthier diet and increasing exercise can lower cholesterol without medication.