A long list of Lynda Hollander’s paternal relatives had heart disease, and several had undergone major surgeries. So when she hit her mid-50s and saw her cholesterol levels creeping up after menopause, she said, “I didn’t want to take a chance.”

A cardiologist told Hollander that, based on factors including age, sex, cholesterol and blood pressure, she faced a moderate risk of a major cardiac event, like a heart attack, in the next 10 years.

Doctors typically counsel such patients about the importance of diet and exercise. But Hollander, now 64, a social worker in West Orange, New Jersey, didn’t have much room for improvement. She already was a serious runner, and, though she says, “I fall off the wagon once in a while,” her diet was basically healthy. Still, her efforts to lose weight d

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