New Guidelines Recommend Earlier Cholesterol Screening and Treatment

The updated recommendations aim to lower lifetime risk of heart disease by starting prevention efforts in younger adults.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 7:11pm

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New cholesterol guidelines from the American Heart Association and other medical groups advise doctors to begin screening and treating people in their 30s, much earlier than previous recommendations. The guidelines also suggest testing for two new biomarkers linked to heart disease risk. The goal is to lower lifetime exposure to high LDL cholesterol and prevent long-term damage.

Why it matters

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, but up to 80% of cases are preventable through lifestyle changes and early intervention. The new guidelines aim to identify and treat risk factors earlier in life to reduce the long-term burden of cardiovascular disease.

The details

The updated guidelines recommend using a new risk calculator, PREVENT, to assess 10-year and 30-year risks for people in their 30s. Doctors are now advised to consider cholesterol-lowering statins for adults with LDL levels of 160 mg/dL or higher, a lower threshold than before. The guidelines also suggest testing for apolipoprotein B and lipoprotein(a), two biomarkers linked to increased heart disease risks.

  • The new guidelines were jointly published on March 13, 2026 in Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The players

American Heart Association

A nonprofit organization focused on cardiovascular health and a co-author of the new cholesterol guidelines.

American College of Cardiology

A medical professional society and co-author of the new cholesterol guidelines.

Dr. Roger Blumenthal

Chair of the guideline writing committee and director of the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.

Dr. Christopher Kramer

Cardiologist at the UVA Health Heart and Vascular Center and president of the American College of Cardiology.

Dr. Steven Nissen

Chief academic officer of the Cleveland Clinic Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute.

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What they’re saying

“We're changing the way we measure risk. Not just assessing 10-year risk but also assessing 30-year risk, and that goes back to it being a lifelong disease.”

— Dr. Christopher Kramer, Cardiologist

“The time-averaged value of your LDL cholesterol over your lifetime is one of the strongest predictors of whether you're going to have a heart-related event. It's really about reducing lifelong risk, not 10-year risk.”

— Dr. Steven Nissen, Chief academic officer

“This is much lower than ever before. What they're basically saying is, don't rule out treating somebody who's only got a 3% 10-year risk if their lifetime risk is high.”

— Dr. Steven Nissen, Chief academic officer

What’s next

The new guidelines will be an important resource for doctors as they work to identify and treat cardiovascular risk factors earlier in their patients' lives.

The takeaway

By recommending earlier cholesterol screening and treatment, the new guidelines aim to reduce the long-term burden of heart disease through proactive prevention efforts starting in younger adulthood.