Wellness Talk with George Batista
Sep 23, 2026 · 15 min · 8 segments
New cholesterol guidelines are changing how doctors evaluate cardiovascular risk—and could lead to more people being prescribed cholesterol-lowering medications as a preventive measure. In this…
George BatistaHost
So basically, in 2026, a major new cholesterol guideline was published by the American College of Cardiology.
A few months later, in July 2026, a separate population analysis published in JAMA made headlines around the world.
An estimated 87.5 million U.S. adults between the ages of 30 and 79—roughly about 56.6 percent of that population— now meet the criteria to be considered for statin therapy to prevent a first heart attack or stroke.
They're bringing those goalposts down because what they want to do is to get more cholesterol medication into more people.
That is the bottom line, right? Cholesterol medication, I say maybe the last 20 years, is probably the biggest selling drug around.
Now, remember here, being eligible for medication is not the same as having the disease.
OK, so what does this mean? So let's take a look at these numbers that they're talking about here.
So when we look at this, what are the implications? They're saying 21.5 million who are newly statin eligible.
So basically, in 2026, a major new cholesterol guideline was published by the American College of Cardiology.
A few months later, in July 2026, a separate population analysis published in JAMA made headlines around the world.
An estimated 87.5 million U.S. adults between the ages of 30 and 79—roughly about 56.6 percent of that population— now meet the criteria to be considered for statin therapy to prevent a first heart attack or stroke.
They're bringing those goalposts down because what they want to do is to get more cholesterol medication into more people.
That is the bottom line, right? Cholesterol medication, I say maybe the last 20 years, is probably the biggest selling drug around.
Now, remember here, being eligible for medication is not the same as having the disease.
OK, so what does this mean? So let's take a look at these numbers that they're talking about here.
So when we look at this, what are the implications? They're saying 21.5 million who are newly statin eligible.
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