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.

Grandma was right after all, eating lots of veggies is good for you

It seems grandma was right after all and eating lots of veggies is good for you.

19 Jun 2006

Vegetables may reduce hardening of arteries

New research suggests one reason vegetables may be so good for us - a study in mice found that a mixture of five common vegetables reduced hardening of the arteries by 38 percent compared to animals eating a non-vegetable diet.

18 Jun 2006

Protein represents new target in the treatment of diabetes

According to a new study elevated levels of a molecule called RBP4 (retinol binding protein 4) forecast the early stages of the development of insulin resistance, a major cause of type 2 diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.

18 Jun 2006

Elevation of fat-derived molecule foretells early insulin resistance

A study in the June 15 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) reveals that elevated levels of a molecule called RBP4 (retinol binding protein 4) can foretell early stages in the development of insulin resistance.

14 Jun 2006

Know your fats because now trans fats are the bad guys

A new study has found that trans fats redistribute body fat to the abdomen, creating the deadly "apple" body shape and it can happen on a calorie-controlled diet.

14 Jun 2006

Japanese researchers using PET imaging detect the beginnings of atherosclerosis

Using positron emission tomography (PET), the medical isotope 15O-water and cold pressor tests, Japanese researchers were able to detect the beginnings of atherosclerosis - before the disease became clinically evident.

9 Jun 2006

NHS could save 2 billion pounds by switching to generic cholesterol lowering drugs

The NHS in England could save over £2bn in the next five years if doctors simply switched patients to cheaper generic cholesterol lowering drugs (statins), say two senior doctors in this week's British Medical Journal.

8 Jun 2006

New way to assess risk of heart disease in ethnic groups

A new web-based calculator will better assess the risk of heart disease in British black and minority ethnic groups. These groups are often wrongly assessed.

7 Jun 2006

Initial findings from the BBC 'diet trials

Commercial diets are a useful way to lose weight. And those based on group support seem to fare better at keeping the weight off in the long term, finds a study in the British Medical Journal.

7 Jun 2006

Atorvastatin may increase new blood vessel formation

Systemic sclerosis (SSc), also known as scleroderma, is an uncommon and confounding disease characterized by excessive fibrous tissue formation and vascular abnormalities.

6 Jun 2006

New drug combo to cut cardiovascular disease

A major international study to test whether a new combination treatment that increases good "HDL" cholesterol prevents heart attacks and strokes will start to recruit patients later this year.

6 Jun 2006

Hydrophobic statins not associated with increased breast cancer risk

A report published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that women who took statins--the widely used cholesterol lowering drugs--do not face an increased breast cancer risk as had been suggested by some previous studies.

6 Jun 2006

Cigarette smoking and high cholesterol predict different forms of peripheral artery disease

Cigarette smoking and high cholesterol predict risk for some forms of peripheral artery disease (PAD), while diabetes predicts risk for other forms of the disease, researchers reported in a rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

6 Jun 2006