The next time you go to the doctor, you're likely to hear a lot more about cholesterol.

That's because the National Institutes of Health is issuing new guidelines on how high cholesterol should be diagnosed and treated.

More Info A reading of 40 or lower is now considered too low for hdl or "good" cholesterol. For ldl or "bad" cholesterol, the new goal is a level of 100 or lower. New Guidelines Details From AP News Release From N.I.H. Links National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute www.nhlbi.nih.gov American Heart Association www.americanheart.org

The recommendations call for more use of cholesterol lowering drugs - prompting what experts predict will be a three-fold increase in the number of patients taking medications like Lipitor or Pravachol.

But along with the use of these medications, the N.I.H. wants patients and doctors to more vigorously pursue what it calls "therapeutic lifestyle changes" - things like diet and exercise - to lower cholesterol.

They also call for initial patient screenings to focus on details about the ratio of good versus bad cholesterol, rather than just looking at total cholesterol.

And there are changes in the "threshold" numbers for these levels.

A reading of 40 or lower is now considered too low for hdl or "good" cholesterol. For ldl or "bad" cholesterol, the new goal is a level of 100 or lower.

The guidelines also add diabetes to the list of conditions that put patients at increased risk of heart disease.

Numerous studies have shown that lowering cholesterol also lowers risk of heart attack and stroke - two of the leading killers in the U.S.