In a recent update of cholesterol guidelines, a national panel of scientists and health experts stressed a more personalized approach to risk assessment, diagnosis and treatment. But for the first time, the guidelines also described race and ethnic backgrounds as "risk-enhancing factors" for specific U.S. populations. Each ethnicity has some clusters of risk factors specific to that ethnic group.

The guidelines, issued in November by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and 10 other health organizations, include a separate section that outlines how race and specific ethnic characteristics may influence a persons risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. For example, South Asians living in the U.S. generally have lower levels of "good" HDL cholesterol than their white counterparts.

The guidelines also make clear distinctions among different Asian ethnicities. They note people of South Asian descent – those from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – have a higher risk of developing heart disease than the general American population. People with Japanese backgrounds, meanwhile, are more likely to be sensitive to statin drugs used to treat cholesterol and may require lower dosing… (AHA News, Jan. 11, 2019)