Women and men with a 10-year cardiovascular disease risk of 5 percent or more and normal cholesterol levels but high levels of hsCRP, a protein associated with inflammation, could reduce their risk substantially with statin therapy, according to new research. The study, published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal, is a new analysis of data from the randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind Justification for Use of statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER)…

New research claiming that fast food restaurants should give out statins to combat the effects of fatty food could encourage people to lead unhealthier lives and increase the risk of people developing Type 2 diabetes. Research published in the American Journal of Cardiology states that a statin pill could offset the increased risk to the heart caused by the fat in a cheeseburger and a small milkshake. It suggests that the cholesterol-lowering drug, whichÂ�costs as little as 5p,Â�could be handed out in the same way as sachets of tomato ketchup…

Behavioral researchers at MicroMass Communications have identified a metabolic mindset™ that could be the key to helping physicians, nurses and other healthcare educators successfully influence patients with type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol to adopt healthier lifestyle changes such as losing weight, eating better, getting more exercise, and giving up cigarettes. Jessica Brueggeman, director of behavioral sciences at MicroMass, says the research has important health and economic implications, especially in the nation’s escalating battle against obesity…

Imagine this: order a cheeseburger and fries, and pick up a free cholesterol-busting statin tablet along with the other free condiments, that’s what a group of UK researchers suggests you should be able to do at fast food outlets as a way to offset the increase in heart attack risk from eating junk food. You can read how the team from Imperial College London arrived at this suggestion, which at least one group of experts says should not be taken literally, in a study published this week in the American Journal of Cardiology…

Imagine this: order a cheeseburger and fries, and pick up a free cholesterol-busting statin tablet along with the other free condiments, that’s what a group of UK researchers suggests you should be able to do at fast food outlets as a way to offset the increase in heart attack risk from eating junk food. You can read how the team from Imperial College London arrived at this suggestion, which at least one group of experts says should not be taken literally, in a study published this week in the American Journal of Cardiology…

Individuals with a large waist circumference appear to have a greater risk of dying from any cause over a nine-year period, according to a report in the August 9/23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Having a large waist circumference has previously been associated with inflammation, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, abnormal cholesterol levels and heart disease, according to background information in the article…

Studies have revealed a potential marker for prostate cancer. A new analysis technique to create a profile of the lipids, or fats, found in prostate tissue and revealed a molecular compound that appears to be useful in identifying cancerous and precancerous tissue. The profile revealed that cholesterol sulfate is a compound that is absent in healthy prostate tissue, but is a major fat found in prostate cancer tumors.

Scanning the genomes of more than 100,000 people from all over the world, scientists report the largest set of genes discovered underlying high cholesterol and high triglycerides - the major risk factors for coronary heart disease, the nation’s number one killer. Taken together, the gene variants explain between a quarter and a third of the inherited portions of cholesterol and triglyceride measured in the blood. The research, representing scientists from 17 countries, appears in two papers in the Aug. 5 issue of Nature…

It can make blood look like cream of tomato soup. Patients with high levels of triglycerides in their blood, a disease called hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) face an increased risk for heart disease and stroke. HTG affects one in 20 people in North America and is also associated with obesity, diabetes and pancreatitis. Most people now understand the importance of LDL, the bad cholesterol and HDL, the good cholesterol, to their overall health. But high triglycerides are like the Rodney Dangerfield of the lipid world: they get less respect and notoriety compared to their cholesterol cousins…

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a way to significantly reduce atherosclerosis in mice that does not involve lowering cholesterol levels or eliminating other obesity-related problems. They report their findings in the July 23 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Atherosclerosis is the process through which fatty substances, such as cholesterol and cellular waste products accumulate in the lining of arteries…