Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Cholesterol News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/cholesterol/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124705.php People can respond to dietary changes within four to six weeks. Lowering their low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by up to 30 percent can significantly reduce their risk of coronary heart disease. "If cholesterol reductions of these amounts can be achieved by changes in lifestyle... there may be no need for many patients to take cholesterol-lowering medicines," says Professor David Colquhoun, a cardiologist from Wesley Medical Centre in Brisbane. Cholesterol Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124529.php In a large U.S. population-based study presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, metabolic syndrome patients had a 75 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer compared to those without metabolic syndrome. Dr. Donald Garrow and Dr. Colorectal Cancer Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123519.php A new analysis by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of data from over 40 clinical trials did not show a link between statins, drugs used to lower cholesterol, and higher risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease". The FDA said there is no need to change prescribing practice. Statins Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123346.php Biophysicists at the University of Pennsylvania have used 3,200 computer processors and long-established data on cholesterol's role in the function of proteins to clarify the mysterious interaction between cholesterol and neurotransmitter receptors. Cholesterol Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123338.php Going green may be heart healthy if the green you choose is pistachio nuts, according to researchers at Penn State who conducted the first study to investigate the way pistachios lower cholesterol. "We investigated mechanisms of action to explain the cholesterol-lowering effects of the pistachio diets," says Sarah K. Gebauer, recent Penn State Ph.D. recipient, currently a post-doctoral research associate, USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center. Cholesterol Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123077.php Seniors battling high cholesterol are more likely to stop taking their medications once they reach the Medicare Coverage Gap, a result that may put them at higher risk for heart attack and stroke. New research by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122676.php Galmed Medical Research Ltd., a leading biopharmaceutical company that develops innovative proprietary drugs for the treatment of cholesterol and liver diseases, announced today that it has started its Phase-I study in healthy human volunteers of its novel drug, Aramchol, developed for Fatty Liver Disease. Liver Disease / Hepatitis Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122523.php Using the drug darapladib, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues have inhibited a cholesterol-and immune system-associated protein, thereby reducing the development of heart-disease plaques that may cause death, heart attacks, and strokes in a pig model of atherosclerosis and diabetes. The study appeared online this week in Nature Medicine. Cholesterol Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122026.php Heart health isn't the only reason to pay attention to cholesterol levels: Research has shown that cholesterol plays an important role in prostate health as well. September has been designated both National Prostate Health Month and National Cholesterol Education Month, and the American Urological Association (AUA) and the AUA Foundation are urging men to decrease their risk of developing prostate cancer by managing their cholesterol. Prostate / Prostate Cancer Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/121963.php Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have transformed cells from human skin into cells that produce insulin, the hormone used to treat diabetes. The breakthrough may one day lead to new treatments or even a cure for the millions of people affected by the disease, researchers say. Diabetes Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120792.php Strategies for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention using lipid-lowering medications can be improved by adopting the absolute-risk approach, according to a research paper in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia. Lipid-lowering medication reduces blood cholesterol levels, an important risk factor for CVD. Cholesterol Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120468.php In 2004, the FDA sponsored a study on occurrences of rhabdomyolysis, a sometimes deadly side effect of cholesterol-lowering statins, generally believed to be rare after the withdrawal of cerivastatin. The FDA study looked at patients using statins for a period of one year, with results showing that only 0.44 in 10,000 patients will develop this sometimes life-threatening condition. The creators of eHealthMe. Statins Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120328.php Elderly people who take a cholesterol drug after a stroke or mini-stroke lower their risk of having another stroke just as much as younger people in the same situation, according to research published in the September 3, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Stroke Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120312.php New research commissioned by Flora pro.activ revealed that two thirds of GPs polled feel that it is very important for patients on cholesterol-lowering medication to also ensure they eat a healthy diet to improve heart health. According to recent NICE guidance on the management of Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH), first-line treatment for FH should be statins. Cholesterol Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120154.php Understanding cholesterol is more than figuring out what's good and bad. Although much is known about this waxy substance that's in all body cells and its relationship with heart disease, much is still uncertain. Doctors suspect that the relationship may be more complicated than previously believed. The September issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource provides an overview of cholesterol and recent news about cholesterol medications. Cholesterol Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120105.php Pfizer announced that in patients with established heart disease, Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium) 80 mg not only significantly reduced the relative risk of suffering a first cardiovascular event by 19 percent compared to Lipitor 10 mg but also provided a sustained reduction in the risk of a subsequent second, third, fourth, and fifth cardiovascular event, according to a subanalysis of the five-year Treating to New Targets (TNT) study. Heart Disease Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120102.php The link between cholesterol-lowering drug ezetimibe (marketed as Vytorin) and cancer is still not clear, wrote the editors of the leading medical journal New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). More time is needed to assess the drug, they said, and in the meantime patients and doctors will have to live with the uncertainty. Cancer / Oncology Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120036.php Cardiologists in Europe agree that reducing LDLcholesterol (LDL-C or "bad" cholesterol) is the most important consideration when treating dyslipidaemia (abnormal blood lipids). A majority of cardiologists also agree that in addition to lowering LDL-C, raising HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C or "good" cholesterol) and reducing triglycerides are important factors in choosing dyslipidaemia treatment. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119913.php The results of a new observational study presented recently at the showed that patients who stop taking their prescribed statins have a four-fold increased risk of death during the first year following an acute coronary syndrome. The study included 2,234 patients who were prescribed statin therapy after an acute coronary syndrome. Patients were followed for one year after discharge from the hospital. Statins Mon, 01 Sep 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119873.php Genetic lipoprotein disorders are frequently seen in patients with premature coronary artery disease (CAD). An example of strong genetic predisposition is the disorder: familial hypercholesterolemia, where a single gene defect (the low density lipoprotein receptor) contributes to most of the familial expression of CAD. Cholesterol Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119580.php AstraZeneca welcomes the recommendations by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the treatment of Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) 1, a genetic condition resulting in high cholesterol levels. As part of its comprehensive review on the identification and management of people with FH, NICE has recommended that adults with the condition be treated with high intensity statins in order to reduce LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels by 50%. Cholesterol Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119549.php Just ahead of the expected release of clinical practice guidelines on Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) by the influential National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), Tepnel Life Sciences PLC (AIM: TED) today announced the launch of a DNA test for the early detection of FH, a genetic condition that predisposes individuals to high blood cholesterol levels and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119463.php The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Primary Care have today (27 August 2008) published a guideline on the care and treatment of adults and children/young people with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), a type of high cholesterol that is caused by an inherited genetic mutation. Cholesterol Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119438.php Elevated cholesterol levels return to normal or near normal levels over time in four out of 10 children with uncontrollable epilepsy treated with the high-fat ketogenic diet, according to results of a Johns Hopkins Children's Center study reported in the Journal of Child Neurology. The study appears online ahead of print here. Epilepsy Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119366.php Taking 1000mg of a specific olive leaf extract (EFLA®943) can lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure in patients with mild hypertension (high blood pressure). These findings came from a 'Twins' trial, in which different treatments were given to identical twins. By doing this, researchers could increase the power of their data by eliminating some of the uncertainties caused by genetic variations between individual people. Hypertension