Los Angeles, July 2 : Scientists have found that simultaneously controlling blood pressure and cholesterol can significantly lower the risk of heart disease, a study says.

"Prescribing medications to better manage blood pressure and cholesterol would greatly benefit people who are older, diabetic and have cardiovascular disease. Going to the doctor at least twice a year could help," reports Science Daily, citing a study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

"Under-treated high blood pressure and cholesterol affect millions of Americans -- posing a major public health threat," said Brent M. Egan, lead study author and professor of medicine and pharmacology at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

"The reality is, we know more than enough to prevent 75 percent of heart disease and strokes, but we're not doing everything we could be doing or even doing it at a reasonable level," he said.

"We've made some gradual improvements over the years, but there is still a lot of progress to be made," Egan said.(IANS)