Cholesterol: The right advice?

Dr Fred Kavalier answers your health question:

The United Kingdom is the first country in the world where statins - powerful and effective cholesterol-lowering drugs - are available without a prescription. Most experts agree that high cholesterol levels make it more likely that you will have a heart attack or develop furred-up coronary arteries. And there is increasing evidence that even if your cholesterol levels are "normal", you can reduce your risks by lowering them even further. So it seems logical that someone like you could benefit from trying to lower your cholesterol levels. If you eat a reasonably low-fat diet, there is probably not much more you can do to lower your cholesterol levels by changing your diet. The special yoghurts and margarines such as Benecol and Flora Pro-Activ contain plant sterols and stanols, which are chemicals that reduce the amount of cholesterol that is absorbed through the intestine. The manufacturers claim that eating them every day can reduce cholesterol levels by up to 15 per cent. Over-the-counter statins are available in a lower dose than would normally be prescribed. They have not been used at this dose for long enough for us to know if they make any real difference in terms of preventing heart attacks and heart disease. You are unlikely to gain great benefit from lowering your cholesterol with margarine or statins, because your risk of heart attack is probably already quite low. But you are unlikely to do yourself much harm, so I wouldn't say that you shouldn't try them.

Please mail your questions for Dr Fred to health@independent.co.uk. He regrets that he is unable to respond personally to questions.