Exercise Offsets Genetic Signal for Obesity

Scientific evidence is increasingly proving that the human body was engineered for action. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have recently added more evidence, with their study of the effect an active lifestyle has on a specific gene that causes less active people to gain excess weight. Read more

UC Researchers Declare War on Children’s Cholesterol Levels

A team of physician-researchers at the University of California (UC), San Diego, School of Medicine, who consider the fight to lower cholesterol levels on a nationwide scale an all-out “war,” calls on parents and healthcare workers to take children’s cholesterol levels seriously as a means of preventing a future with heart disease.  The declaration of war on coronary heart disease follows the lead of the National Institutes of Health, which lists obesity and diabetes as other epidemics of our time that can be conquered using behavior modification and education as their chosen weapons of war. Read more

Vytorin Continues to Break Hearts at Merck, Schering

The bad news just seems to keep coming.  The results of the latest test of the prescription drug, Vytorin, show the drug produced no significant indication that it is effective in the treatment of aortic valve disease and heart disease.  The test also showed that Vytorin actually increased the number of heart events deemed “serious” when cancer patients take the drug. Read more

Statins Recommended for Kids’ Cholesterol

In a move sure to stir controversy, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended on Monday that a more aggressive approach to treating high cholesterol in children should be implemented, even if it means prescribing cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Read more

Good Cholesterol Staves Off Memory Loss, Dementia

High levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol, have long been associated with memory problems experienced by the elderly but new research on the effects of the high-density lipoproteins (HDL), shows that high levels of the “good” cholesterol in middle age are beneficial in maintaining good memory well into the twilight years and may reduce the chances of developing age-related dementia. Read more

Cholesterol Medications Linked to Eye Disease

Many patients balk at the prospect of taking cholesterol lowering medications. The benefits, according to studies, are profound, but worries persist about the ill effects. Many patients report muscle aches, fatigue, and even memory loss. Lowering cholesterol too much has even been associated with a possible link to cancer. According to a new study, statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) might hasten the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that leads to blindness and affects more than ten million Americans. Read more

Smoke More, Drink More, Get Alzheimer’s Sooner

A new study suggests that heavy smoking and drinking can hasten the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by several years.  Eliminating smoking and drinking are considered the two most important steps to preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Read more

Low LDL Cholesterol May Signal Risk of Parkinson’s Disease

It’s become pretty common knowledge that the lower one’s level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the better for the heart. A recent study has confirmed, however, the possibility that a low LDL count may signal a greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Read more

An Hour of Child’s Play a Day Keeps Teenage Heart Disease at Bay

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends one hour of moderate-intensity activity every day during childhood although children today follow a lifestyle much more sedentary than ever before. Researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC), followed nearly 400 North Carolina children from childhood to their teenage years to see if activity level in childhood had any lasting effect later. Read more

LDL Levels Well Below Current Recommendations Are Most Beneficial

Med Headlines - Keeping LDL cholesterol at levels well below the current recommendations, decreases mortality in patients with atherosclerosis, according to a study done at The State university of new York Health Science Center.

In this randomized study, 10,000 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and LDL cholesterol <130 mg/dL received either 10 mg or 80 mg of atorvastatin. The role of the drug was to decrease LDL cholesterol levels to a varying degree, depending on the dose.

It was found that patients who reached the lowest levels of LDL, had significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction, as compared to those, whose LDL level was closer to 130 mg/dL.

Furthermore, researchers did not observe any adverse effects caused by extremely low LDL levels. They also found that the risk of death from any cause, was lowest in the low LDL group.

Study results suggest that cardiovascular risk may be reduced in patients suffering from atherosclerosis, by lowering their LDL cholesterol to levels well below the current target recommendations.