Around 6% of Americans have bad LDL cholesterol levels of 160 mg/dL to 189 mg/dL, and around 2% have levels of 190 mg/dL or more. Unfortunately, many of those people have no idea they're walking around with a timebomb in their torso.

That's a shame because lowering LDL cholesterol is proven to reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart disease-related death. (In Dr. Mike's practice, most patients aim for an LDL of 70 mg/dL.)

If your LDL is over the top, you may be put on intensive, high-dose statin therapy. But that comes with the potential for side effects.

While studies show that high-intensity statin therapy (80 mg daily of atorvastatin or simvastatin) reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular issues, it's also associated with a significant increase in adverse events, liver abnormalities, and discontinuation of therapy.

That's why it's great news that adding a medication called ezetimibe, which blocks the absorption of cholesterol from the intestine, to moderate statin therapy can be a powerful way to lower LDL with fewer side effects.

A study in JAMA Cardiology says ezetimibe lowers LDL cholesterol levels by around 24% more than the moderate dose of statin alone. And the combination has more cholesterol-lowering power than intensive statin therapy.

You can boost the benefits if you combine smart medication with smart nutrition (no red or processed red meats, added sugars, or highly processed foods), aerobics and strength training, as well as stress management. Aim for Dr. Mike's LDL cholesterol target of 70 mg/dL or lower.

For more information, check out "Dr. Oz's Keys to a Healthy Heart" on Oprah.com.