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.

Cut out the sodas - cut down the metabolic syndrome risk!

According to a large U.S. study, soda drinks, whether they be diet or regular, are linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome among middle-age adults.

23 Jul 2007

Schering-Plough announces licensing of Acadesine

Schering-Plough Corporation has announced the worldwide licensing of acadesine, an investigational, potentially first-in-class adenosine regulating agent (ARA), from PeriCor Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held, specialty biopharmaceutical company.

20 Jul 2007

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein may also influence how fat cells store fat

Scientists have shown for the first time that a protein involved in the transfer of fat in the blood may also influence how fat cells store fat.

20 Jul 2007

Scientists lift lid on genetics of coronary artery disease

Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding how our genetic make-up can lead us to develop heart disease and to predicting who is most at risk.

19 Jul 2007

Elevated nonfasting triglyceride levels associated with heart attack

Results from two studies indicate that elevated nonfasting triglyceride levels are associated with cardiovascular events such as a heart attack, with one study finding that triglyceride levels measured after fasting does not show this association, according to studies in the July 18 issue of JAMA .

18 Jul 2007

Low glycaemic index or low glycaemic load diets for overweight and obesity

Put aside the white bread and pick up an apple. A diet of foods less likely to spike blood sugar levels helps dieters lose more weight, according to a new systematic review from Australia.

18 Jul 2007

Many doctors not frustrated that patients can't lower cholesterol, despite cardiovascular risks

Family doctors don’t always feel that they can achieve healthy cholesterol levels in their patients even though they are aware of the dangers of cardiovascular disease, according to an international survey of practitioners published in the July issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

17 Jul 2007

Analysis of diabetes drugs

Most oral medications prescribed for type 2 diabetes are similarly effective for reducing blood glucose, but the drug metformin is less likely to cause weight gain and may be more likely than other treatments to decrease so-called bad cholesterol, according to a report funded by HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

17 Jul 2007

Insulin resistance in skeletal muscle can be countered through exercise

Abdominal fat, the spare tire that many of us carry, has long been implicated as a primary suspect in causing the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that includes the most dangerous heart attack risk factors: prediabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, and changes in cholesterol.

17 Jul 2007

A suntan is the body's best effort to fend off ultraviolet light

For years, the official word on tanning has been … don't. Health organizations have driven home the message that the sun exposure needed to get a tan increases your chances of getting skin cancer.

16 Jul 2007

Things that can trigger heart attacks, strokes and cardiac arrests

Heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrests seem like they come out of the blue, but most don't.

13 Jul 2007

Helpful hints for healthy diets

With the number of Americans overweight and obese at an all-time high, the diet choices of young people are of concern, especially as they prepare to leave home for the first time in the fall and fend for themselves at college.

13 Jul 2007

Turn back the clock and drink a pint of milk a day for health!

A pint of milk a day could be back in fashion again following the results of a new study which says dairy foods can protect against metabolic syndrome.

12 Jul 2007

Get off the sofa and go for a walk!

These days, it's easy for people to get confused about exercise -- how many minutes a day should they spend working out, for how long and at what exertion level?

12 Jul 2007

Senate Health Committee votes to repeal written informed consent in HIV testing bill (AB 682), notes AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the US' largest provider of HIV/AIDS healthcare, prevention and education, and operator of the largest non-government HIV testing program in California which conducts more than 15,000 HIV tests annually, has lauded the California State Senate Health Committee for its vote in favor of Assembly Bill 682, California's Routine HIV Screening Bill, which will now move on to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

12 Jul 2007

Spousal concordance in health behavior change

Being a good role model can truly help a spouse to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

11 Jul 2007

Discovery of gallstone gene

Scientists at the University of Bonn, together with colleagues from Romania, have discovered a gene variant that significantly increases the risk of developing gallstones (Hepatology No. 46, 11 July 2007, DOI 10.1002/hep.21847).

11 Jul 2007

No compelling evidence that meditation has therapeutic value

While it's not likely to do you any harm, there is also no compelling evidence that meditation has therapeutic value, says a new report from the University of Alberta.

10 Jul 2007

Electronic health records not associated with improved quality of outpatient health care

Electronic health records have been hailed as a key element in making U.S. medical care more effective and efficient, but a new study led by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine shows that electronic records were not associated with improved quality of outpatient health care in 2003 and 2004.

10 Jul 2007

Mexicans-Americans born in the United States are less healthy than whites

Mexicans-Americans born and raised in the United States are more likely to suffer from conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol than those who emigrate from Mexico, according to a new study from the University of Southern California.

10 Jul 2007