National study tests theory that exercise, lowering cholesterol can help prevent Alzheimer’s

UTSW: Carol White can’t help but worry when she misplaces keys or can’t recall a name ever since relatives have been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.
“I live with the possibility Alzheimer’s might also touch my life,” she said. “You just take a deep breath and wonder.”But the 69-year-old doesn’t plan to sit around waiting to find out. She’s joined a study at the UT Southwestern Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute to determine whether regular aerobic exercise and taking specific medications to reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol levels can help preserve brain function.“There is plenty of evidence to suggest that what is bad for your cardiovascular system is bad for your brain, but the body is one machine and you cannot separate the heart from the brain,” said Dr. Rong Zhang, Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

New clues in mice link cholesterol to fertility

Saint-Louis: Whether made by the body or ingested through diet, cholesterol plays a vital role in cells. Cholesterol also is a building block of steroids and hormones, including those that trigger puberty and support pregnancy. A new study implicates a surprising regulator of cholesterol in cells’ ability to make these hormones, especially in tissues associated with fertility, such as the ovaries.

Developing wheat with cholesterol lowering properties

Scimex: A groundbreaking study published in Science Advances shows the way to breeding wheat with cholesterol lowering properties. CSIRO scientist Steve Jobling has identified the mechanism controlling betaglucan synthesis in cereals. Barley and oat grains contain high levels of soluble betaglucan which can lower cholesterol reabsorption in the gut leading to healthier blood cholesterol levels and lowering the risk of heart disease. Conversely, wheat grain has low levels of betaglucan with a slightly different structure making it insoluble.

Mayo Expert Says New Cholesterol Drugs are Very Effective (video)

Mayo Clinic: A FDA advisory panel has recommended approval of the first drug in a new class of cholesterol-lowering medications, called PCSK9 inhibitors. PCSK9 is a protein that interferes with the liver's ability to reduce levels of LDL, often called the bad cholesterol. A similar drug made by another company will be considered by the panel today. "The thing that’s different about [these medications] is that they actually enhance your own body’s ability to clear cholesterol," says Stephen Kopecky, M.D., with Mayo Clinic's division of cardiovascular diseases and the immediate past president of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC).

Study Examines Association Between Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs, Memory Impairment

JAMA: Both statin and nonstatin cholesterol-lowering drugs were associated with memory loss in the first 30 days after patients started taking the medications when compared with nonusers, but researchers suggest the association may have resulted because patients using the medications may have more contact with their physicians and therefore be more likely to detect any memory loss, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

CT Angiography Links Arterial Plaque with Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol

RSNA: Non-calcified arterial plaque is associated with diabetes, high systolic blood pressure and elevated "bad" cholesterol levels in asymptomatic individuals, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in men and women worldwide, accounting for 17 million deaths annually. Current treatment strategies focus on cardiovascular risk and serum cholesterol levels rather than direct assessment of extent of disease in the coronary arteries.

Common Gene Mutation May Raise Risk of Heart Disease

Connecticut: A common mutation in a gene that regulates cholesterol levels may raise the risk of heart disease in carriers, according to a new UConn Health study. Researchers examined a mutation called the missense rs4238001 variant, which alters the type of protein made by the gene SCARB1, and thereby the body’s cholesterol regulation. The study, led by Annabelle Rodriguez-Oquendo, an endocrinologist at UConn Health, was based on information about more than 5,000 people who participated in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Artherosclerosis in major American cities from 2000 to 2002.

Eggs and cholesterol: not so bad

British Heart Foundation: Today's news has seen eggs back in the media, discussing their links to high cholesterol. Our Senior Cardiac Nurse, Victoria Taylor, explains that its been a while since eggs were considered a cause of high cholesterol and the best ways to have a healthy diet. In the past it was thought that people should limit the number of eggs they eat to three to four a week because they contain cholesterol - It is the egg yolks that have the cholesterol. However, the misconceptions around eggs and cholesterol largely stemmed from incorrect conclusions drawn from early research that dietary cholesterol contributed to raised blood cholesterol levels. 

Drugs that lower cholesterol spell less stroke

Scimex: A UK study over nine years has tracked the health of 7,484 men and women with an average age of 74 years and no known history of stroke. The study has found that use of cholesterol lowering drugs, such as statins or fibrates, is associated with a one third lower risk of stroke compared with non-users. In an accompanying editorial, an Australian expert argues that the results provide compelling evidence that more research should look at the use of lipid lowering drugs as a potential way to ward off stroke in the elderly.

Night owls more likely to develop diabetes

Scimex: Night owls are more likely to develop diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, and decrease of muscle mass than early risers, even when they get the same amount of sleep, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Study reveals high-cholesterol diet increases spread of prostate cancer

University of Queensland research has shown that a high-cholesterol diet increases the spread of prostate cancer tumours to lymph nodes, lungs and bones. Study leader Dr Michelle Hill said the research highlighted why it is important for patients with prostate cancer to choose a low-cholesterol diet.
“High cholesterol doesn’t change the size of the original prostate cancer tumour, but the effect on cancer spreading was shown to be significant,” Dr Hill said.

High Cholesterol: Why Me? The Genes-Diet Connection

Berkeley: Why do cholesterol-rich foods cause blood cholesterol to rise only in some people? Why does a salty diet raise blood pressure in some, but not in others? Why does a high-carbohydrate diet help some people stay thin and healthy, while it causes others to gain weight and develop high blood triglycerides? Genetic factors play a major role—and scientists are gaining insights into how and why.

Is the new cholesterol-lowering drug rosuvastatin really useful?

British Heart Foundation: A doctor has questioned the use of the cholesterol-lowering drug rosuvastatin (Crestor). Writing in the BMJ, Dr Sidney Wolfe says that evidence of its health benefits has always been weak and there is now growing evidence that the drug carries a higher risk of harmful side effects, such as developing diabetes.

High cholesterol, triglycerides can keep vitamin E from reaching body tissues

Oregon: In the continuing debate over how much vitamin E is enough, a new study has found that high levels of blood lipids such as cholesterol and triglycerides can keep this essential micronutrient tied up in the blood stream, and prevent vitamin E from reaching the tissues that need it.

Lower Risk of Diabetes Among People With Inherited High Cholesterol

JAMA: The frequency of type 2 diabetes among 25,000 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (a genetic disorder characterized by high low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol levels) was significantly lower than among unaffected relatives, with the prevalence varying by the type of gene mutation, according to a study in the March 10 issue of JAMA.

New approaches required to lower cholesterol

Adelaide university. Australia: Patients whose low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (or bad) cholesterol levels do not respond to cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may have more artery blockages than those whose cholesterol levels drop with treatment, a recent study has shown.

Researchers say men taking statins at increased risk of type 2 diabetes

British Herat Foundation: New research shows men who take statins to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease could be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Gene testing could find those who would benefit most from statins

NHS. UK: "Patients with the highest genetic risk of suffering a heart attack benefit the most from cholesterol-lowering statin drugs," The Guardian reports. Statins are drugs that lower cholesterol and can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) developing – the leading cause of death both in the UK and worldwide.

New views of enzyme structures offer insights into metabolism of cholesterol, other lipids

Michigan University. US: With the aid of X-ray crystallography, researchers at the University of Michigan have revealed the structures of two closely related enzymes that play essential roles in the body's ability to metabolize excess lipids, including cholesterol.

High cholesterol during young adulthood raises heart disease risk

American Heart Association: How long you have elevated cholesterol – even if only mildly elevated –affects your risk of heart attack. Every decade you have elevated cholesterol between the ages of 35 and 55 may increase your future risk of heart disease by 39 percent.