A 55 year old male with a history of hypertension has the following fasting lipid profile:
Total cholesterol 240 mg/dL
LDL cholesterol 98 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol 35 mg/dL
Triglycerides 140 mg/dL
Which of the following is the most appropriate treatment?
A. Diet and lifestyle modifications
B. Start niacin
C. Start gemfibrozil
D. Start an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor
E. No therapy is needed