The average cholesterol level for U.S. adults last year decreased to 199 and reached the recommended range for the first time in almost 50 years, according to a report released by CDC on Wednesday, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.

The report uses data collected by CDC every two years. For the latest report, CDC examined data on cholesterol levels for a nationally representative sample of about 4,500 U.S. residents ages 20 and older from 2005 to 2006. According to the report, the percentage of adults with high cholesterol -- levels of 240 or higher -- decreased to 16% last year, compared with about 20% in the early 1990s.

The report said that the most significant decreases in cholesterol levels last year occurred in men ages 40 and older and women ages 60 and older. Experts in large part attributed the decreases in cholesterol levels among adults to increased use of anti-cholesterol medications (Stobbe, AP/Long Island Newsday, 12/13).

CBS' "Evening News" on Wednesday included a discussion with CBS medical correspondent Jon LaPook about the report (Couric, "Evening News," CBS, 12/12). Video of the segment is available online.

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.