§ Mr. BellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether his Department has at any time in the last 12 months investigated the likely number of people with blood cholesterol levels in excess of the 5.2 mmol/l European consensus recommended guidelines; and what plans he has for further similar investigations;
(2) what measures his Department has taken to encourage screening for cholesterol both in hospitals and by general medical practitioners.
§ Mrs. CurrieA number of independent academic studies have been carried out, including a major blood cholesterol study of more than 12,000 men and women aged 25 to 59 in four British cities. This showed mean cholesterol concentrations of 5.9 and 5.8 mmol/l in men and women respectively. The Department has recently concluded a dietary and nutritional survey of adults, in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, which included examination of blood cholesterol levels, and the data collected are now being examined; the Departments will be considering the need for further such surveys. It is now widely accepted that a high blood cholesterol level is an important risk factor in relation to heart disease. In my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) on 26 July, I announced that the Standing Medical Advisory Committee has been invited to advise on the cost-effectiveness of cholesterol testing.