HEALTH : D.C. Debate Over Cholesterol
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WASHINGTON — The government’s massive cholesterol education program places too much emphasis on drug treatments that may do more harm than good, a congressional panel was told today.
But a federal official defended the National Cholesterol Education Program, saying its guidelines will improve the health of Americans and reduce the risk of heart attacks--the nation’s leading killer. They recommend diet as the treatment of first choice.
Thomas J. Moore, an investigative reporter whose article in the September issue of the Atlantic magazine inflamed the controversy over cholesterol monitoring, said he questions the value of what he says is aggressive treatment recommended by the federal program.
“This is a very serious and expensive mistake in public policy,” he told the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health.
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