Study suggests that Americans may not know extent of heart disease risk

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. A survey conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Nature Made found that nearly half of all respondents did not know their current cholesterol levels and 20 percent have never had them checked, suggesting that Americans may not be appropriately managing their heart disease risk despite the high awareness around heart disease, Pharmavite, maker of Nature Made, announced Monday.

“Studies show simple lifestyle changes and paying attention to the heart disease risk factors we can control may help Americans live longer, healthier lives,” stated Joseph Keenan, cardiology researcher and professor emeritus, University of Minnesota, who advises people to eliminate risk factors such as smoking or being overweight.

“For some who have high cholesterol due to genetics, following [lifestyle prevention tips may not be enough,” Keenan said. “For these situations, I often recommend a natural ingredient called Pantesin that helps reduce cholesterol production in the liver. Pantesin can be found in … CholestOff Complete, a nutritional supplement from Nature Made.”

The online Heart Health survey was conducted within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Pharmavite between Sept. 4 and 6, 2007 among 2,321 U.S. adults over the age of 18. Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population.

Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.