Cholesterol News and Research

RSS

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.

Millions being tricked into buying useless diet food products or supplements

Globally every year, obese people waste billions of pounds on food products that 'imply' that they aid weight loss, but are totally ineffective, says a nutritional expert on bmj.com.

25 Nov 2008

Hormone therapy could be dangerous for women pre-existing heart disease risk factors

Hormone therapy could accentuate certain pre-existing heart disease risk factors and a heart health evaluation should become the norm when considering estrogen replacement, new research suggests.

25 Nov 2008

Presence of gum disease may help dentists and physicians identify risk of cardiovascular disease

Individuals reporting a history of periodontal disease were more likely to have increased levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease, compared to those who reported no history of periodontal disease, according to an American Journal of Cardiology report available online today.

25 Nov 2008

Understanding how oxidative stress impairs endothelial progenitor cell function may lead to antioxidant therapy to prevent cardiovascular disease

Although its been over a decade since endothelial progenitor cells or EPCs, cells that circulate in the blood repairing and replacing the cells that line blood vessels, were identified, the field is still evolving. EPCs are now being studied as biomarkers to assess the risk of future cardiovascular disease and as potential agents for vascular regeneration.

25 Nov 2008

Major discovery in the control of bad cholesterol

A study performed by the team of Dr. Nabil G. Seidah, Director of the Biochemical Neuroendocrinology Research Unit at the IRCM, shows for the very first time that the degradation by PCSK9 of the LDLR receptor, which is responsible for removing the bad cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) from the bloodstream, may be inhibited by a third protein, annexin A2.

24 Nov 2008

Eating too many eggs may raise your risk of type 2 diabetes

According to new research from the U.S. eating too many eggs may increase the risk of a person developing type 2 diabetes - and this applies to both men and women.

24 Nov 2008

Researchers discover how red wine may reduce Alzheimer's

Scientists call it the "French paradox" - a society that, despite consuming food high in cholesterol and saturated fats, has long had low death rates from heart disease.

21 Nov 2008

Heart patients are often not treated in accordance with guidelines

Many patients with cardiovascular disease are not given adequate drug therapy.

21 Nov 2008

Effective anti-tobacco public service announcements should either scare or disgust viewers

Now's the perfect time to increase anti-smoking campaigns - Nov. 20 is the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout.

20 Nov 2008

LDL cholesterol inhibits the breakdown of peripheral fat

The so called bad cholesterol (LDL) inhibits the breakdown of fat in cells of peripheral deposits, according to a study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.

20 Nov 2008

Metabolex announces positive results from phase 2 trial of MBX-8025

The Phase 2 study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of MBX-8025, both alone and in combination with atorvastatin (marketed as Lipitor(R)), over an 8-week treatment period.

19 Nov 2008

Protein transporter in the gut could speed drug 'take up'

For poorly absorbed medications, drug makers should consider using natural homing devices to drive the drugs through the hazards of gastrointestinal acidity and enzymes to reach the bloodstream quicker, James Polli, PhD, said today at the annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) in Atlanta.

18 Nov 2008

Fitch Ratings revises Merck & Co.'s outlook

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Merck & Co.'s (Merck) ratings, and revised the Rating Outlook to Negative from Stable.

18 Nov 2008

Why HIV treatment makes people more susceptible to metabolic complications

Clinicians have known for some time that people treated for HIV also become much more susceptible to diabetes and heart disease.

17 Nov 2008

Financial incentives motivates doctors to reduce ethnic differences in heart disease treatments

Financial incentives for doctors can improve the management of coronary heart disease (CHD) and reduce ethnic differences in quality of and access to care, according to Dr. Christopher Millett, Consultant in Public Health at Imperial College Faculty of Medicine in London in the UK, and his colleagues.

17 Nov 2008

Breakthrough reveals first ever complete structure of a nuclear hormone receptor on human DNA

For decades, scientists have been studying nuclear hormone receptors to gain a better understanding of how they turn genes on and off throughout the body and how they function as key drug targets for a number of diseases, such as diabetes, breast cancer, osteoporosis and high cholesterol. A new UVA Health System study, led by Fraydoon Rastinejad, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and director of the UVA Center for Molecular Design and published in the October 29 issue of Nature, reveals the first ever complete structure of a nuclear hormone receptor on human DNA – a discovery that now clears a new path for scientists to design more effective drugs with fewer associated health risks. “Dr. Rastinejad’s findings fundamentally change the way people all over the world will study how nuclear hormone receptors work and introduces a new platform for designing better drugs,” says Jim Garrison, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology at UVA Health System. Nuclear hormone receptors, including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), are proteins that sit on the surface of cells and bind to specific hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and thyroid hormone. Once the receptor binds to its hormone and its DNA regulatory element, it can cause a number of alterations in the cell, switching genes on and off. These switches control the continual regulation of the metabolic system and reproductive tissues, as well as the development and differentiation of skin, bone and behavioral centers in the brain. “PPARs are widely studied because they regulate the genes that produce fat cells, glucose, insulin, lipids and metabolism,” says Dr. Rastinejad. “That’s what makes them such good drug targets for diseases like diabetes. We can design drugs more rationally to bind to the PPAR nuclear receptor complex to help regulate these functions in the body.” A number of diabetes drugs, called insulin sensitizers, have been developed based on that knowledge, but now that scientists have a clear view into how these receptors bind and what shape they take the door is wide open for the development of better drugs. "After 40 years of nuclear receptor research, we finally can view the first full and complete structure of a nuclear receptor, thanks to Dr. Rastinejad’s break-though achievement,” says Bert W. O’Malley, Ph.D., professor and chairman, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine who is widely considered a top expert in the field.

17 Nov 2008

Canadian women unaware of their vitamin D levels

A new survey, conducted by Ipsos Reid, reveals Canadian women are unaware of their vitamin D levels. According to the survey sponsored by Marc Sorenson, Ed.D, 97 per cent of the 516 Canadian women surveyed didn't know their vitamin D levels.

17 Nov 2008

Community-based physical activity interventions found to be cost-effective

Community-based physical activity interventions designed to promote more active lifestyles among adults are cost-effective in reducing heart disease, stroke, colorectal and breast cancers, and type 2 diabetes, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

16 Nov 2008

Rosuvastatin trial shows dramatic reduction in hidden heart disease

A Harvard-led study shows that the risk of heart attack and stroke among subjects with "silent heart disease" - and normal cholesterol levels - can be dramatically reduced by the use of an already widely prescribed class of drugs.

13 Nov 2008

Angioplasty safer in community hospitals when team has more experience

Heart experts at Johns Hopkins have evidence that life-saving coronary angioplasty at community hospitals is safer when physicians and hospital staff have more experience with the procedure.

12 Nov 2008