A recent study which appeared on the Journal of American College of Cardiology suggests that the guidelines for the risk factors for heart disease must be further tightened.

Experts who are pushing for the tightest control of the risk factors like blood pressure and bad cholesterol point out that the lower you get for these tests the better the outcome will be.

They have formed the conclusion after looking into the data about the arteries of around 3437 men who participated in several studies conducted by the Cleveland Clinic. The trials involved using ultrasound probes to check for the fatty deposits along the lining of the blood vessels.

The deposits of fats were thinnest for those men who demonstrated the lowest levels of bad cholesterol or LDL. This was also correlated to the low blood pressure readings.

To be more specific, the least growth of fatty deposits was for men who had below 70mg/dL of blood cholesterol and a systole of under 120.

The indicative reading for higher risk for cardiac problems is about 140 or higher of systolic blood pressure for men. Anything that is between 120 and 140 is a prehypertension case. Experts recommend an LDL or bad cholesterol level of 100 for those with potential risk and aiming to lower that figure to 70. You need cholesterol control!

High risk patients must aim for a blood pressure systole of lower than 120 and an LDL level of below 70 to get the greatest benefit.