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.

Scale back on weight obsession, urges obesity expert

"We need to change how we look at obesity, stop obsessing on weight and BMI and, above all, redefine the proper clinical use of weight loss drugs," says noted obesity expert Dr. Jean-Pierre Després, delivering the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Lecture at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2007.

22 Oct 2007

Heart attacks and suicide higher in those who have surgery for obesity

New research has revealed that deaths due to suicide and coronary heart disease are higher among people who have undergone bariatric surgery for obesity.

19 Oct 2007

Children who are obese or who are at risk for obesity show early signs of heart disease

Childhood obesity in the United States is an epidemic -- nationwide, 19 percent of children ages 6 to 11 and 17 percent of those 12 to 19 are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those who are overweight during childhood also have an increased risk of obesity in adulthood and are at greater risk for complications such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, because obesity increases total blood volume, which leads to extra stress on the heart.

18 Oct 2007

Bypass surgery more likely than angioplasty to relieve coronary artery disease pain

Patients with mid-range coronary artery disease are more likely to get relief from painful angina and less likely to have repeat procedures if they get bypass surgery rather than balloon angioplasty with or without a stent, according to a new report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

17 Oct 2007

Severely mentally ill at high risk for cardiovascular disease

A psychiatrist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis writes in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that although mortality from cardiovascular disease has declined in the United States over the past several decades, patients with severe psychiatric illness are not enjoying the benefits of that progress.

17 Oct 2007

Scientists reassess heart disease causes

Almost 3,000 Northern Ireland people are to take part in a Queen's study analysing their risks of developing heart disease in the future.

17 Oct 2007

Dietary advice for reducing cardiovascular risk

Diet is an important part of coronary heart disease prevention, and a new review of studies finds that dietary advice leads to modest improvement in risk factors such as high cholesterol and blood pressure, especially in people at higher risk.

17 Oct 2007

Risk of death following bariatric surgery

Approximately 1 percent of Pennsylvania residents who underwent bariatric surgery between 1995 and 2004 died within one year of the surgery and nearly 6 percent died within five years, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Surgery, a theme issue on bariatric surgery.

16 Oct 2007

Chocoholics ....blame it on bacteria!

The craving chocoholics have for chocolate is according to new research the result of metabolic programming.

16 Oct 2007

Hooked on chocolate? the answer why may lie in your gut

For the first time, scientists have linked the all-too-human preference for a food - chocolate - to a specific, chemical signature that may be programmed into the metabolic system and is detectable by laboratory tests.

15 Oct 2007

Statins appear to preserve lung function

Statins are known to be good for lowering cholesterol and maybe even fighting dementia, and now they have another reported benefit: they appear to slow decline in lung function in the elderly - even in those who smoke.

15 Oct 2007

Even low levels of weekly exercise can be beneficial

Even low levels of weekly exercise can drive down blood pressure and boost overall fitness according to new research for the University of Ulster.

15 Oct 2007

Statins cut heart attacks by more than a quarter

A study into the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs has found they reduce heart attacks by more than 25 per cent.

12 Oct 2007

Transthyretin protein may accelerate atherosclerosis

Scientists report in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Lipid Research that a protein called transthyretin (TTR) that is present in the blood may accelerate the development of atherosclerosis - a potentially fatal heart disease in which the arteries are progressively narrowed and hardened over time, reducing blood flow to the heart.

12 Oct 2007

Red wines may defend against food-borne pathogens

Red wine is known to have multiple health benefits. Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have found that red wine may also protect humans from common food-borne diseases.

12 Oct 2007

New research may show why some prostate cancer recurs after treatment

Cancer researchers have long worked to understand why some prostate cancers recur after the use of therapies designed to stop the production of testosterone and other androgens that fuel cancer cell growth.

12 Oct 2007

Gene SIRT1 could lead to new cholesterol strategies

MIT researchers have discovered a link between a gene believed to promote long lifespan and a pathway that flushes cholesterol from the body. The finding could help researchers create drugs that lower the risk of diseases associated with high cholesterol, including atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) and Alzheimer's disease.

12 Oct 2007

Compound called apolipoprotein B in blood better at predicting coronary heart disease in Chinese people

Scientists report in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Lipid Research that the concentration of a compound called apolipoprotein B in the blood is better at predicting whether Chinese have coronary heart disease – in which fatty deposits clog arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart – than other substances such as blood cholesterol levels.

12 Oct 2007

Breast cancer awareness calls for cardiovascular awareness

Women who overcome breast cancer have every reason to celebrate. But a heart filled with joy may also be a heart damaged by life-saving cancer therapies, a growing body of research shows.

12 Oct 2007

Benefits of statin drugs continue for years

Scientists in the UK have found that the benefits to the heart from taking statin drugs may last for years and are sustained even after the drugs are stopped.

11 Oct 2007