The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology released the first new guidelines in 10 years for preventing heart disease and strokes.

Right now, cholesterol-lowering statins, like Lipitor and Zocor, are used on 15 percent of adults. Under the new guidelines, one-third of Americans would meet the criteria. These groups include people who already have heart disease, adults ages 40 to 75 who have a genetic risk and an LDL score of 190 or higher, and adults with Type 2 diabetes.

Doctors say the other big distinction with these new guidelines is that they'll no longer be looking to keep cholesterol below a certain number.

The guidelines also pay more attention to risk factors like gender, race, diet, exercise and smoking.