Description: Med Headlines - Keeping LDL cholesterol at levels well below the current recommendations, decreases mortality in patients with atherosclerosis, according to a study done at The State university of new York Health Science Center.

In this randomized study, 10,000 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and LDL cholesterol <130 mg/dL received either 10 mg or 80 mg of atorvastatin. The role of the drug was to decrease LDL cholesterol levels to a varying degree, depending on the dose.

It was found that patients who reached the lowest levels of LDL, had significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction, as compared to those, whose LDL level was closer to 130 mg/dL.

Furthermore, researchers did not observe any adverse effects caused by extremely low LDL levels. They also found that the risk of death from any cause, was lowest in the low LDL group.

Study results suggest that cardiovascular risk may be reduced in patients suffe