**Controlling Cholesterol For Dummies** (For Dummies (Health & Fitness))

As ubiquitous as these numbers may seem, these statistics actually represent good news. Compared to previous decades, fewer adults are experiencing total high cholesterol. In fact, the proportion of the population from ages 20 to 74 (that covers just about everyone, now doesn't it?) with this problem has actually dropped by half.

From 1960 to 1962, about 33 percent experienced it. This compares to only 16.3 percent in the years from 2003 to 2006.

And while part of the solution to this problem can be found in the development of prescription medications, very often these same drugs carry serious -- even fatal -- adverse side effects.