It’s a fact. Lifestyle and dietary changes are an important part of the formula to help lower “bad” cholesterol numbers. Whether you add more heart-healthy foods, healthier fats, or whey protein, adjusting your diet can help lower your numbers more quickly. And now, people struggling with diseases like heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) have access to a new treatment that gives high cholesterol the one-two punch, according to an article in Star2.com.
HeFH is an inherited disease that causes high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), which the liver is not able to regulate. People with HeFH may also have issues with coronary artery disease, strokes and other issues associated with high cholesterol, including death.
One of the major concerns with HeFH is that people typically don’t experience any symptoms and are completely unaware that they have high cholesterol, except through testing.
The new drug, which has been approved in Malaysia, is a combination of two drugs (ezetimibe and atorvastatin) to help lower “bad” cholesterol. First, ezetimibe helps slow the absorption of cholesterol throughout the digestion. Atorvastatin interrupts the liver’s creation of cholesterol. Taken once daily, the new drug is intended to be taken by adults in conjunction with a low-fat diet.
The combination of the two therapies has been successful in lowering LDL-C in more than 2,400 patients in seven trials in Malaysia. For healthcare providers, this means they’ll have more flexibility to offer treatments beyond a single statin treatment to help patients to reach specific cholesterol levels. For patients, the medication has few side effects and offers an additional option to help them better reach their health goals.
To read more about the announcement, click here.
