If you’re taking a statin to control high cholesterol, when you head out to dinner do you resist ordering the steak with buttery potatoes? Or do you cheat because you think the statin will cover your concerns? While it’s true that not all high cholesterol foods will raise your cholesterol levels, if you’re like the rest of the 37% of the population that takes a statin (or should), you do need to keep a close watch on your numbers. And now there are new guidelines issued by The American Heart Association that doctors can use to make sure you’re doing all you can to sustain good cardiovascular health and keep your cholesterol at healthy levels.

Heart disease remains the #1 killer in the US, and while these new guidelines confirm that statins remain the key to controlling cholesterol, this new advice urges physicians to conduct a more personalized risk assessment of patients in the fight against high cholesterol. For example, there are new drugs on the market (which can be very expensive) that can be used to control cholesterol when statins don’t work. There are also other tests now available (such as a coronary artery calcium test) that can help guide cholesterol treatment options. So put down that butter and read more about the new guidelines here.