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* Cholesterol, long vilified as the cause of cardiovascular disease, is a vital component to nearly every cell in your body for the construction of cell membranes, regulation of cell signaling and neurological health * A review of three large industry-funded studies found it was impossible for cholesterol to be the main cause of heart disease as those with low levels had the same levels of arterial sclerosis as those with high levels * The same study found benefits claimed by statin supporters are ineffective and unsafe, as statements are invalid, compromised by misleading statistics and excluding information from unsuccessful...

Kidney stones are a common condition that affects millions of people worldwide. While genetics and various other factors can contribute to kidney stones, dietary components play a significant role in their formation. Previous research has isolated specific dietary culprits such as high oxalate or calcium intake. However, understanding of the effects of specific dietary components on stone formation remains limited. In this study, researchers used male CD-1 mice to explore the potential correlation between dietary intake and KS. Initially, the size of urinary sediment particles was analyzed in mice that were administered with cholesterol and fruit tannins by gavage. The...

Patients who have suffered a heart attack should immediately be offered a combination of cholesterol lowering drugs with statins and ezetimibe, according to research. The study showed that people with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes those who have experienced a heart attack or unstable angina, are 47% less likely to die within three years if they start taking a high dose statin and ezetimibe straight away, compared to those only taking a high dose statin. Researchers say that if treatment guidelines are changed to reflect these findings, it could prevent many thousands of deaths each year. The study included...

Whole body cryostimulation is a useful "add-on" treatment for obesity, research suggests. Levels of cholesterol and other blood fats improved twice as much in individuals, compared with individuals given a sham treatment. Those who had whole body cryostimulation (WBC) also experienced a greater reduction in waist circumference and in blood sugar levels. 29 participants (12 men and 17 women, BMI >30 kg/m2) were non-randomly allocated either to a group receiving 10 2-min WBC sessions at minus 110°C in a cryochamber over two weeks (WBC) or a control group receiving the same intervention at non-cryostimulating temperatures of minus 55°C (SHAM). Triglycerides,...

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which fat, cholesterol, and other substances build up inside artery walls. This can can block arteries and cause heart attacks and strokes. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which could help to prevent the buildup of fatty deposits in arteries— a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. DHA supplements are often consumed orally, but most are poorly absorbed by the gut. . To improve the absorption, a research team worked on laboratory models to deliver DHA to the bloodstream that could be more effective...

In a new large, comprehensive analysis that looked at data from more than 5 million patients, the Martin/Hopkins method developed by Johns Hopkins researchers to calculate low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol—so-called bad cholesterol—produces higher accuracy rates than the nearly two dozen other available equations. The findings reveal that overall, the Martin/Hopkins algorithm correctly classified 89.6% of patients' LDL cholesterol values, followed by the Sampson method, which correctly classified 86.3%. The previous gold standard of testing LDL cholesterol levels, the Friedewald method, correctly classified 83.2% of patients. An even larger advantage of the Martin/Hopkins algorithm was seen over other methods for patients...

Puberty often begins early for children who are obese. Now, a team of scientists offers what may be a partial explanation. Early puberty, also known as precocious puberty, can leave children with psychological and social problems, as well as causing them to be shorter than they would otherwise be. The more body fat a child has, the greater their likelihood of beginning puberty at an earlier age. Professor Rewitz and the research team tested their hypothesis by putting fruit fly larvae on a fatty diet of cholesterol-packed foods. "We observed that larvae on the cholesterol diet consistently grew faster and...

A real-world, retrospective analysis by the Family Heart Foundation, a leading non-profit research and advocacy organization, found that high-risk Americans who do not maintain levels of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) recommended in the 2018 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association cholesterol treatment guidelines, had a 44% higher rate of cardiovascular events compared to those who did achieve and maintained recommended LDL-C levels. The study findings were based on data from the Family Heart Database of more than 300 million Americans. "This real-world evaluation shows how important it is for people at high risk for cardiovascular events to get the care they need...

Blood levels of HDL, the famously "good" kind of cholesterol, may not make a big difference to heart health after all -- particularly for Black people, a large new study suggests. The study, of nearly 24,000 U.S. adults, found that low HDL levels were tied to a somewhat higher risk of heart attack among White people. That was not the case for Black adults, however. Meanwhile, high HDL levels -- traditionally lauded as heart-healthy -- made no difference in heart risks for Black or White adults. Experts said the findings call for a reevaluation of how HDL is used to...

New research from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has revealed that the link between 'bad' cholesterol (LDL-C) and poor health outcomes, such as heart attack and stroke, may not be as strong as previously thought. Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the research questions the efficacy of statins when prescribed with the aim of lowering LDL-C and therefore reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previous research has suggested that using statins to lower LDL-C positively affects health outcomes, and this is reflected in the various iterations of expert guidelines for the prevention of CVD. Statins are now commonly...

Two drugs approved decades ago not only counteract brain damage caused by Alzheimer's disease in animal models, the same therapeutic combination may also improve cognition. A promising series of early studies is highlighting two well known medicine cabinet standbys—gemfibrosil, an old-school cholesterol-lowering drug, and retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivative. Gemfibrosil, is sold as Lopid and while it's still used, it is not widely prescribed. Doctors now prefer to prescribe statins to lower cholesterol. Retinoic acid has been used in various formulations to treat everything from acne to psoriasis to cancer. The two drugs are being studied for their robust...

Statin use associated with type 2 diabetes progression -Doctors prescribe statins to lower cholesterol levels in a person’s blood. -This reduces their chance of developing cardiovascular disease. -Researchers have found associations between statins and decreased insulin sensitivity, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. -In the present study, the team found people with type 2 diabetes who took statins were more likely to have greater disease progression. In a new study, researchers found a link between statin use and an increased likelihood of type 2 diabetes disease progression. The research, which appears in the journal JAMA Internal MedicineTrusted Source, gives...

An antioxidant drug reverses atherosclerosis and could be used to prevent heart attacks and strokes due to clots. Atherosclerosis is the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries. When a type of fat called LDL cholesterol becomes oxidized and builds up to form plaques in the artery walls, inflammation and damage increase which can cause the plaques to rupture and cause blood to clot. These clots can block vital arteries that allow blood to flow to the heart, causing a heart attack, or to the brain causing a stroke. Previously, researchers at the University of Reading discovered that LDL cholesterol...

My Dr. put me on a statin even though my cholesterol was only 177. She said they have a new formula they use that uses your age, weight, and some other parameters that indicated I was at an elevated risk for a heart attack. I asked her what would happen If I lost 30 lbs, could I skip the statins, she seemed to indicate yes. I am 5'9''and 205. Is anyone familiar with this new formula?

Key to living past 100 may hinge on your gut health, study of centenarians shows TOKYO — Centenarians have unique gut bacteria that enables them to live to a ripe old age, according to new research. Scientists in Japan say this unique gut makeup fuels bile acids that protect against disease. The discovery could lead to yogurts and other probiotic foods that increase longevity. “In people over the age of 100, an enrichment in a distinct set of gut microbes generate unique bile acids,” says lead author Professor Kenya Honda of Keio University in a statement per South West News...

DIETARY cholesterol increases the plasma level of total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and accelerates the development of atherosclerosis and its complications, but individual responses to a given change in the dietary cholesterol level vary widely. Such responses are reproducible to some extent, suggesting genetic as well as physiologic determinants. Several genetic determinants have been identified in nonhuman primates. The homeostatic and regulatory mechanisms that maintain a relatively constant level of plasma cholesterol despite changes in dietary cholesterol intake include alterations in the efficiency of intestinal absorption and in the rates of cholesterol biosynthesis, LDL-receptor activity, secretion of cholesterol into...

Dr. Maryanne Demasi is a former medical scientist who completed her PhD in Medicine at the University of Adelaide. Her research focused on the pathology of Rheumatoid arthritis and potential therapies. Her innovative research has appeared in several internationally published medical journals. Leaving her lab coat behind, Maryanne accepted a position as a political advisor and speechwriter for the South Australian Minister for Science and Information technology portfolios. She advised on issues concerning Intellectual Property and commercialisation of research. Maryanne was headhunted by the ABC ‘s Catalyst program in 2006 and gained a reputation for reporting on relevant and sometimes...

Eggs don't always get the best reputation. In fact, the first thing that may come to mind when you hear the word "eggs" is cholesterol. So, it may come as a surprise to some to see the term "fat-blasting" associated with eating eggs regularly. But first, let's clear up the cholesterol confusion. Each egg contains about 185 milligrams of cholesterol, however, you'll notice the most recent USDA dietary guidelines don't specify how much cholesterol you should limit yourself to each day (they got rid of that guideline in the 2015-2020 edition). Many experts agree the focus should instead be on...

Boiled, fried, scrambled or in an omelette, whole eggs pose a threat to health and eating more of them increases your risk of death, a study claims. Researchers found eating just half a whole egg — which includes the yolk and the white — increases the likelihood of dying by seven per cent. Risk of death increases by a further seven per cent for every half an egg on top of this, so a person eating one egg a day has at 14 per cent greater chance of death than someone who avoids the food. Chinese researchers who led the...

Cholesterol is a steroid lipid (fat) found in the blood of all animals and is necessary for proper functioning of our cell membranes and production of hormones. While there can be negative health effects associated with low cholesterol, cholesterol deficiency is rare. Our bodies already manufacture all the cholesterol we need, so it is not necessary to consume more. Excessive consumption of cholesterol may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, especially in certain groups which are sensitive to dietary cholesterol. (2) Experiment with different diets, and use a Cholesterol Test Kit, so you can monitor your cholesterol levels...