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.

Much more needs to be done to tackle heart disease in South Asians in the United Kingdom

Health inequality between ethnic groups in the United Kingdom is widening. Death rates from coronary heart disease in South Asians (immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka) have declined at a slower rate than in the indigenous population, while evidence shows that second and third generation South Asians seem to be displaying many of the same risk characteristics that make them prone to coronary heart disease as their parents and grandparents.

26 May 2005

'Bad' metabolism cloggs up arteries

Scientists are now saying that a 'bad' metabolism may explain why some people who have never smoked and do not have high cholesterol levels suffer from a potentially lethal build-up of plaque in the arteries.

26 May 2005

Direct link between inefficient metabolism and atherosclerosis

An experiment that turned out very differently than expected led scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to the first direct link between inefficient metabolism and atherosclerosis.

26 May 2005

Stimulating innate immunity helps ease Crohn's disease symptoms

Like throwing oil on a fire or prescribing a high cholesterol diet for heart patients, gastroenterologists traditionally have believed that it would not be a good idea to stoke up the body's immune system to treat Crohn's disease.

26 May 2005

Increase in heart surgery mortality from SSRIs or depression?

Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that patients who were using a class of anti-depression drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) prior to undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery have significantly higher death and rehospitalization rates up to five years after the procedure than patients who were not on SSRIs.

26 May 2005

Most serious side effects in statins may be higher in one of the newest drugs, rosuvastatin (Crestor)

A post-market analysis of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins indicates that some of the most serious side effects may be higher in one of the newest drugs, rosuvastatin (Crestor). The drug is the strongest statin available because it has the greatest effect per milligram on low-density lipoprotein ("bad" cholesterol).

26 May 2005

Patients with metabolic syndrome and moderate calcium levels in the coronary arteries have greater chance of blocked arteries

Conditions such as abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels and high blood sugar are problematic enough for people all on their own.

26 May 2005

Statin drugs prescribed for heart disease also reduce the risk of colon cancer

According to new research released this week people taking statin drugs to control the progression of heart disease may be getting the extra benefit of protection from colorectal cancer.

25 May 2005

Patients on hypertension and lipid-lowering medications not sticking to prescriptions

A new study designed to look at how well patients with high blood pressure and dyslipidemia (high cholesterol levels) coped with their medication, has discovered that within six months many patients fail to take blood pressure or cholesterol medication properly.

24 May 2005

Breastfeeding is as good for children's blood pressure as exercise and dietary salt restriction

The research team assessed the impact of breastfeeding on elements of the metabolic syndrome in over 2000 randomly chosen children from Denmark and Estonia, aged between 9 and 15.

24 May 2005

A diet rich in milk does not increase the risk of heart disease and stroke

The research team asked a representative sample of 764 men to weigh and record every item of food and drink they consumed for seven consecutive days. Just under 90% of the sample (665) produced complete and detailed diaries.

24 May 2005

New cholesterol drug Crestor causes safety concerns

A study by a leading medical journal has concluded that AstraZeneca's controversial drug Crestor produces more than twice as many side effects as other common cholesterol lowering treatments.

24 May 2005

Study tackles aging issues of adults with developmental disabilities

Some 4.5 million Americans have a developmental disability. As people live longer, adults with developmental disabilities are no exception, yet their conditions also bring aging-related challenges. A new study by UCLA and Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation reports that a geriatric evaluation and follow-up visits by a nurse practitioner can detect and reduce health problems in this population that often go unaddressed by the healthcare system.

23 May 2005

Metabolic syndrome prevalent in heart attack patients

Nearly half of heart attack patients also met criteria for metabolic syndrome, putting them at a higher risk for development of heart failure, according to an article in the May 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

23 May 2005

Patients with type 2 diabetes who participate in group education programs require less medication

Group-based education resulted in improved diabetes control as reflected by blood glucose levels and patients’ knowledge of diabetes. Evidence also suggested that participants in diabetes group education programs may reduce their blood pressure and body weight and increase self-empowerment, quality of life, self-management skills and treatment satisfaction.

18 May 2005

Cardiovascular risk factors among homeless people are under-treated in Canada

The study, the first comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular risk factors in a representative sample of homeless adults, also found that cardiovascular risks among the homeless may be underestimated due to commonly used risk assessment tools that do not account for cocaine use and the level of smoking exposure.

18 May 2005

Hypertension drug combination yields high rate of blood pressure control in hard-to-treat patients

The study, conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and 118 other sites, was focused on bringing down systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, which is the more difficult number to bring down.

18 May 2005

Routine, inexpensive blood test sharpens heart disease risk predictions

Routine measurements of white blood cell counts that provide a ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes may offer a simple and low-cost way to refine predictions of heart attack or death, according to a new study in the May 17, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

18 May 2005

Statin chemoprevention with minimal surveillance could prevent 96 percent of colon cancers

Ulcerative colitis affects about one out of every 2,000 Americans, and after living with the disease for 30 years, nearly 22 percent of those people will develop colon cancer.

16 May 2005

Statins appear to lessen chance of developing breast cancer

According to a new study women who are taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, such as Lipitor or Mevacor, appear to have much less chance of developing breast cancer.

16 May 2005

Cholesterol News and Research

Further Reading

Much more needs to be done to tackle heart disease in South Asians in the United Kingdom

'Bad' metabolism cloggs up arteries

Direct link between inefficient metabolism and atherosclerosis

Stimulating innate immunity helps ease Crohn's disease symptoms

Increase in heart surgery mortality from SSRIs or depression?

Most serious side effects in statins may be higher in one of the newest drugs, rosuvastatin (Crestor)

Patients with metabolic syndrome and moderate calcium levels in the coronary arteries have greater chance of blocked arteries

Statin drugs prescribed for heart disease also reduce the risk of colon cancer

Patients on hypertension and lipid-lowering medications not sticking to prescriptions

Breastfeeding is as good for children's blood pressure as exercise and dietary salt restriction

A diet rich in milk does not increase the risk of heart disease and stroke

New cholesterol drug Crestor causes safety concerns

Study tackles aging issues of adults with developmental disabilities

Metabolic syndrome prevalent in heart attack patients

Patients with type 2 diabetes who participate in group education programs require less medication

Cardiovascular risk factors among homeless people are under-treated in Canada

Hypertension drug combination yields high rate of blood pressure control in hard-to-treat patients

Routine, inexpensive blood test sharpens heart disease risk predictions

Statin chemoprevention with minimal surveillance could prevent 96 percent of colon cancers

Statins appear to lessen chance of developing breast cancer

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