Nearly 2,400 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day, an average of one death every 37 seconds. Cardiovascular disease claims about as many lives each year as cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents, and diabetes mellitus combined.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more than 151,000 Americans who died of cardiovascular diseases in 2005 were younger than age 65.

Among other risk factors, having high cholesterol puts you at risk of having heart disease. Lowering your cholesterol can reduce your risk for having a heart attack, needing heart bypass surgery or angioplasty, and dying from heart disease. Even if you do not have heart disease, you can reduce your risk of developing it by lowering your cholesterol. This is true even if you have normal cholesterol levels.

An American Journal of Medicine article states that a 10% reduction in total cholesterol can result in a 30% reduction in coronary events.