Very few heart disease patients—less than 1 in 70—have both their 'bad' cholesterol low enough and their 'good' cholesterol high enough to meet ideal health targets.
Scientific Claim
Fewer than 1.4% of patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease have both low-density lipoprotein cholesterol below 70 mg/dL and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol at or above 60 mg/dL.
Original Statement
“Ideal levels (LDL <70 with HDL > or =60 mg/dL) in only 1.4%.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design cannot support claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The claim is a direct, quantitative description from the abstract with no causal inference. The verb strength is appropriately conservative and matches the observational design.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Lipid levels in patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease: an analysis of 136,905 hospitalizations in Get With The Guidelines.
The study looked at over 136,000 heart disease patients and found that only 1.4% had both very low 'bad' cholesterol and very high 'good' cholesterol — which is exactly what the claim says.