Category Archives: Cholesterol

High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, so it’s important to keep your numbers in check. LDL cholesterol clogs up your arteries and makes them stiff, so your heart has to work harder as a result. This is problematic because over time this extra strain can cause damage and even trigger a heart ...click here to read more

Cholesterol levels and heart disease risk may be lowered by eating oats. In a review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, the researchers concluded that oat fiber can reduce LDL cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B (apoB), which are all markers of cardiovascular disease risk. Oats are a great source of soluble fiber which is ...click here to read more

Taking high-dose statins – cholesterol-lowering drugs – slightly improves survival rates for certain patients. The study followed over 509,000 patients with various forms of cardiovascular disease. The researchers found that survival rates increased by nine percent with high-dose statins, compared to moderate-dose statins, over the course of a year. The participants in the study were ...click here to read more

Have you been avoiding avocados because they’re high in fat? New research shows that you may be missing out on the fruit’s benefits to your cardiovascular health and cholesterol numbers. In fact, eating an avocado a day, as part of a diet with moderate fat intake, could help lower cholesterol in patients who are obese ...click here to read more

A large study aimed to examine the role pf HDL cholesterol in the risk of developing heart disease. The study involved nearly 623,000 Canadian adults. Those with the lowest HDL cholesterol levels were found to have the highest risk of death by heart disease or stroke, along with higher cancer mortality and other causes. On ...click here to read more

Triglycerides are a type of fat converted from any excess calories we do not immediately use. Mainly derived from fat and carbohydrates we eat, triglyceride stocks are used for energy in-between the meals, but when we take in more than we burn, that’s when the problem arises. Although cholesterol and fat are essential for the ...click here to read more

Having high cholesterol is bad, you know this already. But what you may not be aware of is that high cholesterol can be putting you at risk for a dangerous condition known as thrombosis, which is basically the formation of blood clots. High cholesterol contributes to blood clots Blood clots are the underlying cause of ...click here to read more

High cholesterol may lead to osteoarthritis by causing cartilage cells to die. Researcher Indira Prasadam said, “Our team has already begun working alongside dietitians to try to educate the public about healthy eating and how to keep cholesterol levels at a manageable level that won’t damage joints, in collaboration with orthopedic surgeons based at Prince ...click here to read more

Triglyceride levels can be affected by alcohol intake in many different ways. For starters, alcohol consumption means more calories to metabolize. No digestion is required, so it goes directly to the liver. Instead of metabolizing fatty acids, the liver then starts processing the alcohol. As a result, the triglyceride levels in the liver – and ...click here to read more

Statins are a common form of treatment for reducing cholesterol, but there are effective alternatives as well. According to recent findings, a heart-healthy diet, other cholesterol-lowering medications, and intestinal bypass surgery were all found to provide cholesterol-lowering benefits similar to those of statins. Senior investigator Dr. Marc Sabatine said, “The focus really should be not ...click here to read more

Menopause seems to have an effect on cholesterol levels. While estrogen supports high levels of HDL (good) cholesterol during a woman’s reproductive years, once she goes through menopause, her estrogen levels decrease. So do the levels of HDL cholesterol, allowing for LDL levels to rise, thus increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Practicing ...click here to read more

LDL “bad” cholesterol can be lowered with a Mediterranean diet and a low-carb vegan diet in men. The study looked at 19 men with metabolic syndrome, which means having three or more risk factors for heart disease and stroke – for example, being overweight, having high blood pressure, and being diabetic. The men were followed ...click here to read more

Ever heard the phrase, “too much of a good thing”? Even when something is good for you, it’s important to keep it in moderation. Case in point, researchers have found that too much HDL cholesterol – commonly referred to as the good cholesterol – can actually contribute to premature death. High HDL cholesterol linked to ...click here to read more

Gallbladder sludge may lead to gallstones in the elderly. Gallbladder sludge, also known as biliary sludge, is a gel-like bile, a potential precursor to cholesterol stones. In the majority of cases, this sludge does not form into stones and can easily dissolve in the gallbladder. Biliary sludge is normal and can be detected through ultrasound. ...click here to read more