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.

Noninvasive ultrasound used to check health of carotid arteries

Specialists with the Strong Women's Heart Program are expanding a study that considers the effects of a statin drug on metabolic syndrome, a condition that increases women's risk for heart disease and stroke.

9 Jul 2007

Exercise reduces inflammation

Although a number of studies have suggested that regular exercise reduces inflammation a condition that is predictive of cardiovascular and other diseases, such as diabetes it is still not clear whether there is a definitive link.

9 Jul 2007

Protein CD36 may be important to future weight-loss strategies

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a protein absorbs lipids in the upper part of the intestine, and they believe its key role in this process may provide a novel approach for obesity treatment in the future.

9 Jul 2007

People with damage to blood vessels in the brain more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease

A recent study in Journal of Neuroimaging suggests that cognitively normal adults exhibiting atrophy of their temporal lobe or damage to blood vessels in the brain are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

9 Jul 2007

QRISK score more accurate than Framingham or ASSIGN for heart attacks

A new score for predicting the risk of heart disease gives a more accurate measure of how many UK adults are at risk of developing the disease and which adults are most likely to benefit from treatment.

9 Jul 2007

Colesevelam HCl hits diabetes with one-two punch

Patients with type 2 diabetes may soon be able to control their glucose and their cholesterol levels with a single drug, according to a study led by Vivian A.

9 Jul 2007

New score for predicting the risk of heart disease

A new score for predicting the risk of heart disease gives a more accurate measure of how many UK adults are at risk of developing the disease - and which adults are most likely to benefit from treatment.

8 Jul 2007

Myeloperoxidase offers clues to heart attack in seemingly healthy people

We've all wondered how a seemingly healthy person can actually be at high risk for heart disease or a heart attack.

4 Jul 2007

Rimonabant may prevent and treat obesity-related liver disease

A new study on the effect of the anti-obesity drug rimonabant on liver function in obese rats found that it reduced markers of liver damage, decreased levels of pro-inflammatory proteins, and improved lipid profiles.

4 Jul 2007

High cholesterol makes people more prone to tick disease human granulocytic anaplasmosis

People who have high cholesterol levels may be much more susceptible to a particular disease transmitted by the bites of ticks, a new study in mice suggests.

4 Jul 2007

Myeloperoxidase protein provides clues to heart attacks in healthy people

We've all wondered how a seemingly healthy person can actually be at high risk for heart disease or a heart attack.

4 Jul 2007

Chocolate lovers rejoice - it lowers the blood pressure!

Chocolate lovers have a good reason to rejoice - new research says dark chocolate helps to keep the blood pressure down.

4 Jul 2007

Big Apple gets serious about trans fats

Although July 1st was officially the day New York City's trans fat ban came into effect, 85% of restaurants had already changed to alternative cooking oils which meet the new trans fat guidelines of less than half a gram of trans fat per serving for either frying or in spreads.

2 Jul 2007

Therapeutic value of meditation unproven

There is an enormous amount of interest in using meditation as a form of therapy to cope with a variety of modern-day health problems, especially hypertension, stress and chronic pain, but the majority of evidence that seems to support this notion is anecdotal, or it comes from poor quality studies, say Maria Ospina and Kenneth Bond, researchers at the University of Alberta/Capital Health Evidence-based Practice Center in Edmonton, Canada.

29 Jun 2007

How medical homes promote equity in health care

Providing minority patients a medical home in which they have a regular doctor or health professional who oversees and coordinates their care would help eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities and promote more health care equity, says a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.

28 Jun 2007

Family-based weight management program cuts diabetes risk, improves BMI in overweight children

Children who participated in a family-based weight management program designed for inner-city minority children had better outcomes regarding weight gain, body fat, body mass index (BMI) and insulin sensitivity compared to children who received traditional weight counseling in a clinic, according to a study in the June 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on chronic diseases of children.

27 Jun 2007

Absence of a gene called CD38 is a protective barrier to obesity

A search for the molecular clues of longevity has taken Mayo Clinic researchers down another path that could explain why some people who consume excessive calories don't gain weight.

27 Jun 2007

More fat may have some advantages for type 1 diabetes and heart disease

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences studying links between an early sign of heart disease called coronary artery calcification and body fat have found that, paradoxically, more fat may have some advantages, at least for people particularly women who have type 1 diabetes.

26 Jun 2007

New risk marker for overweight children

A study of 40 overweight children in Edmonton has revealed they all share something in common aside from being heavy: each one of them has high levels of apoB48, a structural protein found in intestinal cholesterol.

23 Jun 2007

Mid-life stroke in women

More women than men appear to be having a stroke in middle age, according to a study published June 20, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Jun 2007