Keeping cholesterol on the public health agenda

An event taking place at the House of Commons this week, on Wednesday 25 November 2015, will discuss how the NHS can ensure that cholesterol management remains a priority for primary care. The event is being sponsored by HEART UK – the Cholesterol Charity – and Benecol Ltd.

As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Heart Disease, this is an area of particular interest to me, as over half of all UK adults have raised cholesterol levels and high cholesterol is one of the most significant risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease.

People with raised cholesterol levels often receive mixed messages about the most effective way to manage their cholesterol and whether diet or the use of statins is the right approach for them. A recent study also showed that GPs are not prescribing statins in line with recommendations from NICE.

Dr Roger Henderson, a GP who is speaking at the event, said: “Decisions around taking statins to lower cholesterol must be made between a healthcare professional and patient on an individual basis. However, diet and lifestyle changes are always the first step and need to be tried for some months to allow time for cholesterol levels to decrease. These changes should include taking exercise for 20-30 minutes at a time, three times a week as a minimum and eating a healthy balanced diet including cholesterol-lowering foods”.

Other speakers at the event will include: Jamie Waterall, National Lead for the NHS Health Check Programme; Dr Alan Rees, HEART UK Medical Director and Royal College of Physicians; and Jules Payne, Chief Executive of HEART UK.

If you would be interested in attending the event, please contact Zara Patel for further details: zara.patel@hkstrategies.com/ 020 7413 3772.

For more information about HEART UK and Benecol please visit: www.heartuk.org.ukand www.benecol.co.uk