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.

Ultra-processed foods increase risk of anxiety and depression, study shows

A large UK Biobank study linked ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption to increased risks of anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, and other mental health outcomes. A metabolomic signature associated with UPF intake partially mediated these relationships, especially in adults under 60.

5 May 2025

A decade of discovery in the science of healthy aging and human longevity

It's notable when a scientific study reaches the decade mark, but when the topic is the healthy aging of people who have lived 10 times as long, it just means there's still a lot more to learn.

5 May 2025

TM6SF2 gut-specific knockout aggravates liver lipid accumulation in MASLD mice

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is the most common form of chronic liver disease worldwide. This study aimed to explore the role of TM6SF2 in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced MASLD through the gut-liver axis.

5 May 2025

Can your diet affect fertility? Gut-linked dietary score reveals surprising risk pattern

A cross-sectional study of over 3,000 U.S. women found a non-linear link between a gut microbiota-based dietary index (DI-GM) and infertility. Risk decreased with healthier diets but unexpectedly rose beyond a certain threshold score.

4 May 2025

Phthalates in plastics linked to over 350,000 heart deaths worldwide

A global modeling study in eBioMedicine links phthalate exposure from plastics, especially DEHP metabolites, to over 356,000 cardiovascular deaths in 2018. Exposure was highest in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, disproportionately affecting lower-income countries.

4 May 2025

Researchers tie childhood vitamin D shortfalls to adult heart disease

Low childhood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were linked to a significantly higher risk of early adult-onset atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The association remained even after accounting for conventional childhood risk factors and persisted across multiple analyses.

30 Apr 2025

Higher biological age linked to increased dementia risk

People whose biological age is higher than their chronological age may be more likely to develop dementia than people whose biological age matches or is lower than their chronological age, according to a study published on April 30, 2025, online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

30 Apr 2025

The patient expected a free checkup. The bill was $1,430.

Carmen Aiken of Chicago made an appointment for an annual physical exam in July 2023, planning to get checked out and complete some blood work.

30 Apr 2025

Better sleep, BMI, and glucose control lower female infertility odds

A new study using NHANES data found that higher Life’s Crucial 9 (LC9) scores, reflecting better cardiovascular and mental health, were linked to lower odds of female infertility. However, adding depression to the LE8 framework did not significantly improve its predictive value.

29 Apr 2025

Disrupted body clocks raise risk of early death, study finds

A large cohort study from China and the U.S. shows that Circadian Syndrome (CircS)—a cluster of metabolic and behavioral disruptions—is linked to higher all-cause and cause-specific mortality. The risk increases with the number of CircS components, especially among adults aged 40–60.

29 Apr 2025

Hormone therapy boosts heart health markers but raises some risks

Researchers assess hormone therapy-induced changes in cardiovascular biomarkers.

29 Apr 2025

Pecans lower cholesterol and improve diet quality in at-risk adults, study finds

Substituting 57 grams of pecans for usual snacks over 12 weeks improved lipid profiles and diet quality but did not affect vascular function in adults at cardiometabolic risk. A modest weight gain was also observed.

29 Apr 2025

Largest study to date reveals high blood sugar accelerates heart damage in healthy youth

In the present study, 1,595 adolescents drawn from the University of Bristol's Children of the 90s cohort were followed up from age 17 until 24 years. To assess the prevalence of prediabetes, which refers to high fasting blood glucose levels, two alternative cutpoints were used, a stricter cutpoint of ≥5.6 mmol/L recommended by the American Diabetes Association, and ≥6.1 mmol/L , which is the present recommendation in many countries.

29 Apr 2025

Humanized antibody dismantles metabolic barrier as a potential cancer immunotherapy

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a specific mode of fat uptake by immune cells within tumors that serves as a metabolic checkpoint against anti-cancer immune responses.

28 Apr 2025

MASLD in children linked to increased mortality and chronic complications

Researchers from University of California San Diego have found that children diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are at significantly increased risk of premature death and serious long-term health complications.

28 Apr 2025

New blood test can improve heart disease risk prediction

For almost 60 years, measuring cholesterol levels in the blood has been the best way to identify individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

28 Apr 2025

Smoking, drinking and inactivity associated with declines in health in people as young as 36

Bad habits such as smoking, heavy drinking and lack of exercise must be tackled as early as possible to boost the odds of a happy and healthy old age.

24 Apr 2025

Chitosan clears microplastics from the gut in rats within days

A study in rats found that ingesting chitosan, a dietary fiber from shells, significantly increased the fecal excretion rate and decreased the gut retention time of polyethylene microplastics. This suggests chitosan could potentially help mitigate microplastic accumulation in the digestive system.

24 Apr 2025

Metabolic syndrome in midlife linked to higher dementia risk

Having a larger waistline, high blood pressure and other risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of young-onset dementia, according to a study published on April 23, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Apr 2025

Statins linked to better survival in blood cancer patients

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) who were taking cholesterol-lowering statin medications at the start of their cancer treatment had a 61% lower risk of dying from their cancer compared to similar patients who were not taking statins, according to a study published today in the journal Blood Advances.

23 Apr 2025