Cholesterol News and Research

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Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver, and found in the blood and in all cells of the body. Cholesterol is important for good health and is needed for making cell walls, tissues, hormones, vitamin D, and bile acid.

Hysterectomy may increase risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women

Estrogen-deficient, postmenopausal women who have had their uterus removed appear to have stiffer arteries compared to similar women who have not had a hysterectomy, according to new research from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

14 Jun 2012

ChromaDex’s pTeroPure safe for human consumption

ChromaDex Corporation, an innovative natural products company that provides proprietary, science-based solutions and ingredients to the dietary supplement, food & beverage, animal health, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries announced today its patented pTeroPure (pterostilbene) was shown to be safe for human consumption according to data from the first clinical trial of the substance.

13 Jun 2012

Short-term intensive weight management program effective alternative to bariatric surgery

A study by a team of clinicians and researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston has shown for the first time that patients with diabetes who enrolled in a short-term intensive weight management program were able to lose weight and keep it off on their own for four years.

13 Jun 2012

Chagas disease – ‘the AIDS of the Americas’

A recent editorial published in the Public Library of Science's Neglected Tropical Diseases called Chagas disease, a parasite which kills about 20,000 people a year, "the AIDS of the Americas." The disease can be transferred to a child from its mother or by blood transfusions. About 20 percent of those infected can develop life-threatening illness that includes enlarged hearts or intestines, and the drugs used today to treat the disease can take months to work.

12 Jun 2012

Increased risk of brain aneurysm linked to early menopause

The younger a woman is when she goes through the menopause, the greater may be her risk of having a brain (cerebral) aneurysm, suggests research published online first in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.

12 Jun 2012

Almased helps patients with type 2 diabetes lose weight, gain better sugar control

A pilot study shows that a protein-rich meal replacement made from soy, yogurt, and honey (Almased) helps patients with type 2 diabetes lose weight, gain better control of their blood sugar, and decrease their daily insulin dose. Patients in the study also lowered their body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference, and fasting glucose levels, while improving their HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides.

12 Jun 2012

Individuals on statins more likely to experience fatigue with exertion

In a study of more than 1,000 adults, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, found that individuals taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are more likely than non-users to experience decreased energy, fatigue upon exertion, or both. The researchers suggest that these findings should be taken into account by doctors when weighing risk versus benefit in prescribing statins.

12 Jun 2012

Popular low carbohydrate diet leads to increase in cholesterol levels

A 25 year study in Northern Sweden, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition Journal, is the first to show that a regional and national dietary intervention to reduce fat intake, decreased cholesterol levels, but a switch to the popular low carbohydrate diet was paralleled by in an increase in cholesterol levels.

11 Jun 2012

Zafgen announces new data from two Phase 1 studies of beloranib on obesity

Zafgen, Inc., the world's first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to addressing the unmet need of severely obese patients, today announced new data from two Phase 1 studies of beloranib, a selective methionine aminopeptidase 2 inhibitor (MetAP2), which showed significant weight loss and improvements in cardiometabolic risk markers in severely obese women.

11 Jun 2012

Amylin, Alkermes announce results from BYDUREON clinical study on type 2 diabetes

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Alkermes plc today announced results from the long-term extension of the DURATION-1 study, which showed that BYDUREON (exenatide extended-release for injectable suspension), the first and only once-weekly treatment for type 2 diabetes, was associated with clinically significant and sustained improvements in glycemic control during four years of treatment in adults with type 2 diabetes.

11 Jun 2012

Research roundup: Savings from electronic health records?

Does Health Information Exchange Reduce Unnecessary Neuroimaging and Improve Quality of Headache Care in the Emergency Department?

8 Jun 2012

Study identifies molecular changes responsible for abnormal cholesterol production and metabolism

A new study from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine has identified molecular changes responsible for abnormal cholesterol production and metabolism in the livers of patients with a common liver condition, and these changes may explain the severity of a patient's liver disease and risks to their heart health.

8 Jun 2012

Millions of pre-diabetic Americans may be at increased risk of future stroke

Millions of pre-diabetic Americans may be at increased risk of future stroke, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in a new meta-analysis of epidemiological studies, but the precise degree of that threat is confounded by differing medical definitions and factors that remain unknown or unmeasured.

8 Jun 2012

Women may need stronger lipid-lowering regimens

Women who are at high risk for cardiovascular disease are significantly less likely to achieve their lipid-lowering treatment goals than their male counterparts, show findings from a Chinese study.

7 Jun 2012

Targeting stem cells might be more effective in treating vascular disease

One of the top suspects behind killer vascular diseases is the victim of mistaken identity, according to researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, who used genetic tracing to help hunt down the real culprit.

7 Jun 2012

HCMS, ACOEM announce important expansion to Blueprint for Health

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the HCMS Group have announced an important expansion to their "Blueprint for Health" - a free internet-based calculating tool that helps employers better comprehend and analyze the impact of medical costs, absence, and work impairment among their employees.

5 Jun 2012

Patients with normal lipoprotein(a) levels may retain risk of atherosclerosis due to elevated LDL-P number

LipoScience, Inc., an in vitro diagnostic company advancing patient care by developing high value proprietary clinical diagnostic tests using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology, today announced results from a clinical study demonstrating that patients with normal levels of lipoprotein(a) may retain significant risk of atherosclerosis due to an elevated low density lipoprotein particle (LDL-P) number.

2 Jun 2012

Study finds natural ruminant trans fats not harmful

Canadian scientists are joining with international colleagues to lead new insights into the health implications of different types of trans fat.

2 Jun 2012

Walnuts make a nutritious snack

Ninety percent of American adults snack daily and could be gaining valuable nutrition. A paper published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that smaller nutritious meals eaten throughout the day contribute significantly to the nutrient quality of the diet. The key is making snacking choices that are not "empty calories" but healthful options, providing important vitamins and minerals.

2 Jun 2012

First study to correlate dietary fiber intake with inflammatory markers in adolescents

Adolescents who don't eat enough fiber tend to have bigger bellies and higher levels of inflammatory factors in their blood, both major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, researchers report.

2 Jun 2012