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Health Topic: Conditions and Medications
Heart Health is vital to everyone's health because heart disease is the number one cause of death. Many factors can affect heart health. Our current focus is on cholesterol and its impact on your risk of heart disease. Updates on treatment, tools, and getting and understanding your cholesterol numbers are offered below.
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Focus: Heart Disease and Cholesterol
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Resources & Tools
An online tool where consumers can input their cholesterol results, answer some questions, and get a risk estimator of low to high for developing Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, a buildup of plaque inside their artery wall that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Posted March 2026
Posted March 2026
Both major laboratories, LabCorp and Quest, offer accessible cholesterol testing for consumers without a doctor’s order. The cholesterol and lipid test includes HDL, LDL, and Total cholesterol. Consumers can also get an OnDemand Lipoprotein(a) test, which is a new test for genetic high cholesterol that is not related to diet and exercise. The cholesterol and lipid panel is for ages 13 and up, for $59.00 as of early 2026. The Lipoprotein(a) is $49.
This is a good option for people without insurance and concerned about their cholesterol levels. The tests, whether in the doctor’s office or OnDemand, are completed by a phlebotomist. The cost may be lower when using OnDemand than in the doctor’s office, where other office fees and rates may apply, according to GoodRx.
Articles & Research Summaries
Lipoprotein (a): Advances and new findings (Sosnowska et al., 2024)
What Is Lp(a) and Why Does It Matter?
Lipoprotein(a), Lp(a), is a type of cholesterol particle in your blood. Unlike regular cholesterol, your Lp(a) level is almost entirely determined by your genes, meaning diet and exercise have very little effect on it. Up to 1.5 billion people worldwide have elevated levels, and most don't know it. High Lp(a) raises your risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart valve disease — and that risk starts building from childhood.
What can you do?
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Ask your doctor to check your Lp(a), a simple blood test, needed just once in your lifetime for most people
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If your level is high, your doctor can work to lower your other heart risks more aggressively (like LDL cholesterol and blood pressure)
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Aspirin may offer added protection for some people with high Lp(a). Talk to your doctor
What's Coming?
Scientists are testing new injectable and oral medications that can reduce Lp(a) by up to 98%. Large clinical trials are currently underway, and results are expected in 2026–2027. These could be a game-changer for people with high Lp(a).
You can't change your genes, but knowing your Lp(a) number gives you and your doctor a powerful tool to protect your heart. See post on OnDemand blood test for consumers, no physician order needed.
Posted March 2026
Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) by Ahmad et al., 2026
What is FH?
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited condition that causes very high cholesterol levels from birth. Because it's genetic, it runs in families, and if left untreated, it significantly raises the risk of heart disease at a young age.
How is it diagnosed?
A doctor can diagnose FH through a combination of blood cholesterol levels, family history, and sometimes genetic testing. Because FH is inherited, close relatives should also be tested using a process called cascade screening. Cascade screening identifies and tests relatives of a person who has been diagnosed. It identifies family members with the same inherited, often asymptomatic, mutation, allowing for early treatment or prevention of diseases. It is one of the most effective ways to catch FH early and prevent heart disease before it starts. Talk with your doctor to see if this type of test is possible.
Can it be treated?
Yes. Treatment typically starts with heart-healthy lifestyle changes, but most people with FH also need medication.
Posted March 2026
Europe's top heart experts have updated their official guidelines for managing cholesterol and blood fats, emphasizing a more personalized approach to reducing heart disease risk. Doctors now use updated risk assessment tools called SCORE2 to estimate a patient's 10-year risk of heart attack or stroke, with treatment intensity matched to that risk level.
Statins remain the cornerstone of treatment, but newer options, such as bempedoic acid (particularly helpful for those who can't tolerate statins), ezetimibe, and injectable PCSK9 inhibitors, give doctors more ways to lower LDL cholesterol when needed. Notably, the guidelines now formally recognize elevated lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), above 50 mg/dL as a heart disease risk factor that should influence treatment decisions.
The update also addresses specific groups, recommending routine statin use for people living with HIV starting at age 40 and suggesting statins may help protect the hearts of cancer patients on certain chemotherapy drugs, while advising against dietary supplements as substitutes for proven medications. The overarching message is that cholesterol management is not one-size-fits-all; knowing your numbers, including both LDL and Lp(a), is essential for building the right plan to protect your heart.
Vist HeartScore.org to assess your risk
Posted March 2026
Tips & Media
Information and Brief Video on Cholesterol, "The Good and the Bad" by AHA
Knowing whether a cholesterol result is good or bad can be confusing for some. The American Heart Association (AHA) has a video that can help decipher your cholesterol results.
Posted March 2026
Also available in spainish
Dr. Le highlights how the "lower for longer " principle is reshaping cholesterol management guidelines, with both the National Lipid Association and the American Diabetes Association now pushing for more aggressive LDL cholesterol targets, setting targets as low as 40 mg/dL for patients at extreme cardiovascular risk.
Importantly, for the many patients who experience muscle pain from statins, these updated guidelines formally endorse bempedoic acid as a standalone treatment for statin-intolerant patients or as part of combination therapy, with oral medications now preferred before moving to injectable options.
The key takeaway is that no one should go untreated simply because they can't tolerate statins. Newer oral alternatives like bempedoic acid and ezetimibe are now guideline-backed options worth discussing with your doctor.
Posted March 2026
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