Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) News and Research

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Vegetarians may have a healthier biomarker profile than meat-eaters, indicates study

Vegetarians appear to have a healthier biomarker profile than meat-eaters, and this applies to adults of any age and weight, and is also unaffected by smoking and alcohol consumption, according to a new study in over 166,000 UK adults, being presented at this week's European Congress on Obesity (ECO), held online this year.

10 May 2021

Statins improve 28-day mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Now, researchers at Harvard Medical School showed that statin use reduced 28-day mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Both the new initiation of statins and continuing statin therapy reduced the risk of mortality.

8 Apr 2021

Researchers identify protein that interferes with the body's ability to get rid of 'bad' cholesterol

A team of researchers at the University of Alberta has uncovered a long-sought link in the battle to control cholesterol and heart disease.

1 Apr 2021

Which biomarkers can help predict severe COVID-19?

The ability to detect potentially fatal illness early on in the course of the disease would enable a swift prioritization of these high-risk individuals for treatment. A new preprint on the medRxiv* server presents an array of biomarkers that may help achieve this laudable goal.

15 Mar 2021

Unique nanoparticles can package and deliver gene-editing machinery to the liver

The genome editing technology CRISPR has emerged as a powerful new tool that can change the way we treat disease. The challenge when altering the genetics of our cells, however, is how to do it safely, effectively, and specifically targeted to the gene, tissue and organ that needs treatment.

2 Mar 2021

Combining lipid-lowering drugs and lifestyle interventions may yield greatest heart-protecting benefits

Combining healthy lifestyle interventions reduces heart disease through beneficial effects on different lipoproteins and associated cholesterols, according to a study published February 9 in eLife.

16 Feb 2021

Insulin resistance, diabetes and metabolic syndrome contribute to premature coronary events in women

While deaths related to heart disease have declined among older people, studies suggest that death rates among younger patients have remained stagnant or increased slightly.

20 Jan 2021

New program can remotely improve cardiovascular health for broad population of patients

Despite being known risk factors for poor cardiovascular outcomes, blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol remain undertreated among a large proportion of patients.

17 Nov 2020

Individuals with high BMI and LDL cholesterol are at increased risk of COVID-19

A new study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London uses a novel approach to investigate the effects of cardiovascular risk factors on the risk of COVID-19 infection.

16 Nov 2020

New drug reduces LDL cholesterol in patients with severe hypercholesterolemia

The investigational drug evinacumab reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol--the so-called "bad" cholesterol--by 50 percent in patients with severe hypercholesterolemia whose condition is resistant to standard treatments, a phase 2 study from the Icahn School of Medicine of Mount Sinai and other global academic sites has found.

16 Nov 2020

Genetic risk scoring of lipoprotein(a) can predict risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Elevated levels of a little-known lipoprotein in the blood that may put people at high risk of cardiovascular disease can be as accurately detected by genetic testing as by conventional laboratory measurement, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found.

6 Oct 2020

Plasma ACE2 concentration associated with increased risk of major cardiovascular events

A team of scientists at the Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, and McMaster University, Hamilton, in Ontario, Canada, revealed that increased plasma ACE2 levels in the blood could indicate a higher risk of major cardiovascular events. The study is published in the journal The Lancet.

6 Oct 2020

Study: Generic cholesterol medications save billions of dollars for Medicare

The switch from brand name to generic cholesterol medications that occurred between 2014 and 2018 has saved Medicare billions of dollars, even as the number of people on cholesterol-lowering drugs has increased, UT Southwestern scientists have calculated.

9 Sep 2020

Combinations of lipid-lowering therapies could reduce health risk for European patients

New findings from a large European study of patients in 18 countries, including the UK, show that while many patients are able to reduce their risk through taking statins, those at the highest risk of cardiovascular events may benefit from combinations of lipid-lowering therapies.

28 Aug 2020

Targeting LDL cholesterol to reduce heart disease risk now questioned

For many years, health experts have warned that high levels of bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are critical drivers for the development of cardiovascular disease. Now, a new study claims that decades of research have failed to show benefit of targeting the bad cholesterol to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

4 Aug 2020

Little-used measurement of 'good cholesterol' can better predict heart attack and stroke risk

For decades, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol has been dubbed "good cholesterol" because of its role in moving fats and other cholesterol molecules out of artery walls.

27 Jul 2020

Study shows how two proteins provide a tunnel for bad cholesterol to enter the cells

A study has outlined how two proteins are instrumental to bringing cholesterol into cells – a finding that has implications for a range of diseases.

26 Jun 2020

Little-used measure of good cholesterol can predict heart attack and stroke risk

For decades, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol has been dubbed "good cholesterol" because of its role in moving fats and other cholesterol molecules out of artery walls.

22 Jun 2020

Study reports structure of enzyme activator for high pathogenic avian influenza

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing the current pandemic of COVID-19, is the focus of many investigators seeking to find an effective vaccine or therapeutic. Among the potential targets are various protease enzymes suspected of allowing the virus to gain entry to host cells and establish a successful infection.

16 Jun 2020

Potential new treatment approach to fatal COVID-19

Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Pathways Bioscience in the United States have found that activating a transcription factor involved in oxidative stress regulation, antiviral activity, and inflammation may serve as a new treatment approach to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 May 2020