Geneticist: inherited high cholesterol risk needs more serious treatment
Estonian geneticist Neeme Tõnisson says that even a strong genetic predisposition to high cholesterol can be controlled, though diet alone is sometimes not enough and medication is required. The topic was discussed on the show "Своя правда".
Estonian genetics professor Neeme Tõnisson explained on the talk show "Своя правда" that even when someone has a significant genetic predisposition to high cholesterol, the condition can still be treated and kept under control. Host Yelena Solomina asked whether inherited high cholesterol means the condition is untreatable, or whether it can be managed.
According to Tõnisson, even with a considerable genetic factor, a patient can always be treated with a single drug or a combination of medications. He stressed that a healthy lifestyle is important for everyone, but diet alone — or supplements such as red yeast rice — does not always work, so medication is necessary, especially when cholesterol levels are too high.
When a genetic test is needed
The professor noted that in certain cases, beyond a standard blood test and medical history — for instance when it turns out that a patient's parents also had high cholesterol and one of them suffered a heart attack or stroke — it makes sense to undergo a special genetic test.
Such testing helps rule out familial hypoproteinemia, a combination of abnormal cholesterol and total protein levels that signals a serious metabolic disorder. Tõnisson said roughly one in two hundred people carries these genetic variants. A standard test cannot detect this risk factor, but if it is present, the condition remains manageable, though it requires more serious treatment.
The show's discussion, focused on cholesterol as a "silent killer," also covered whether heredity or lifestyle plays the bigger role, why so many myths and debates surround statins, and whether a radical diet alone can help. The episode, hosted by Yelena Solomina, is set to air Monday, September 7, at 20:30.
