8 Key Facts About Statins and Cholesterol

Statins can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attacks, stroke and other heart and vascular problems. But they aren’t right for all patients, and they can rarely cause side effects. Cardiologist Melissa Tracy answers patients’ most frequently asked questions about statins.

Long-term survivors of childhood cancer at higher risk of death following heart issues; threshold for treating risk factors should be lower

New research out of VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and VCU Health Pauley Heart Center indicates that survivors of childhood cancer are at a significantly higher risk of death following a major cardiovascular event — including heart failure, heart attack or stroke — than the general public.

Common hair loss and prostate drug may also cut heart disease risk in men and mice

The drug finasteride, also known as Propecia or Proscar, treats male pattern baldness and enlarged prostate in millions of men worldwide. But a new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study suggests the drug may also provide a surprising and life-saving benefit: lowering cholesterol and cutting the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.

Fluctuating Levels of Cholesterol and Triglycerides Linked to Increased Risk of Dementia

Older people who have fluctuating levels of cholesterol and triglycerides may have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias compared to people who have steady levels, according to new research published in the July 5, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. While the study found a link, it does not prove that fluctuating levels of cholesterol and triglycerides cause dementia.

Statin alternative lowers risk of cardiac events as well as cholesterol levels

A medication called bempedoic acid reduced the risk of cardiac events as well as statins and may offer an alternative to the popular cholesterol-reducing medications, according to industry-supported research being presented Thursday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, in Chicago, Ill.

Researchers discover way to reverse infertility by reducing HDL cholesterol

Houston Methodist scientists reversed infertility in sterile mice by reducing HDL cholesterol with a bacterial protein in a promising development that shows further evidence linking high cholesterol to female infertility. The researchers worked with a protein called serum opacity factor that lowered cholesterol levels by over 40% in three hours.

Mount Sinai Researchers First to Identify That Two Separate Eye Diseases May Contribute to Common Blinding Eye Condition

Two separate eye diseases may contribute to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to a new study from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

Blacks Found Twice as Likely to Have Atherosclerosis as Hispanics in Young Adult Populations in Underserved Communities

A unique Mount Sinai study focused on a multi-ethnic, underserved community in New York City shows that young Black adults are twice as likely to have atherosclerosis as similarly situated young Hispanic adults.

Changes in cholesterol production lead to tragic octopus death spiral

Cholesterol metabolism is responsible for an unusual “death spiral” that some octopus mothers undergo after laying their eggs. The research, published May 12 in Current Biology, reveals that steroid hormones play critical roles in metabolism, behavior, life history and health across the animal kingdom.

Researchers link neurodegenerative disease protein to defective cholesterol metabolism

Researchers in Singapore have discovered that brain cells cannot maintain the cholesterol-rich myelin sheath that protects and insulates neurons in the absence of a protein called TDP-43. The study, which will be published August 4 in the Journal of Cell Biology (JCB), suggests that restoring cholesterol levels could be a new therapeutic approach for diseases associated with TDP-43, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia.

Brain Cell Membranes’ Lipids May Play Big Role in Alzheimer’s Progression

Links between lipid imbalance and disease have been established, in which lipid changes increase the formation of amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. This imbalance inspired researchers to explore the role of lipids comprising the cellular membranes of brain cells. In Biointerphases, the researchers report on the significant role lipids may play in regulating C99, a protein within the amyloid pathway, and disease progression.

Study Compares Heart Benefits of Low-Fat and Plant-Centered Diets

There has been a long-standing debate as to whether a low-fat or a plant-centered diet is better at lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study that followed more than 4,700 people over 30 years, found that a plant-centered diet was associated with a lower long-term risk for cardiovascular disease. However, both diets were linked with lower LDL, or bad cholesterol, levels.

Most Americans Are Not Getting Enough Fiber in Our Diets

Only 5% of men and 9% of women are getting the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber, according to a study being presented at NUTRITION 2021 LIVE ONLINE. Insufficient fiber intake is associated with a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes, two of the most common diseases in the U.S.

Vast under-treatment of diabetes seen in global study

Nearly half a billion people have diabetes, but only 1 in 10 of those in low- and middle-income countries are getting the kind of care that could make their lives healthier, longer and more productive, according to a new global study of data. Many don’t even know they have the condition.

Cholesterol levels sustainably lowered using base editing

Base editing is a novel gene editing approach that can precisely change individual building blocks in a DNA sequence. By installing such a point mutation in a specific gene, an international research team led by the University of Zurich has…

Study Shows Significant Reduction in Triglycerides in Patients at High Risk for Acute Pancreatitis Through Novel Monoclonal Antibody

The investigational drug evinacumab reduced triglycerides in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG) and a history of hospitalizations for acute pancreatitis in a phase 2 global study led by Mount Sinai

Closer to human — Mouse model more accurately reproduces fatty liver disease

Human non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a little-understood condition that significantly increases the risk of inflammation, fibrosis and liver cancer and ultimately requires liver transplant. “NAFLD has been difficult to study mainly because we had no good animal model,”…

Metabolic derangements caused by a high-fat diet may be possible to eliminate

Intake of a high-fat diet leads to an increased risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and fatty liver. A study in mice from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that it is possible to eliminate the deleterious effects of…