Cholesterol Blog

When you think of a cholesterol-lowering diet, what comes to mind? Many of us might think of consuming less fats - especially saturated fats. However, there is a lot of evidence that suggests that you might need to also watch your carbohydrate intake, too. Just like there are good fats and bad fats, there are also good carbs and bad carbs. Good carbs include foods that contain whole grains whereas bad carbs are contained in foods like cookies, cakes, and candies. So, watching your carbohydrate, in addition to your carbohydrate intake could help you to better manage your cholesterol levels.

Statins are the most commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering medications in the United States. While they affect all aspects of your lipid profile, studies have found that statins have additional benefits, too, such as the ability to reduce inflammation in blood vessels. A recent study has found that statins can affect another risk factor for cardiovascular disease: high blood pressure. This research has gotten a lot of publicity lately, and it might even appear as though you can reduce two important cardiovascular risk factors with one pill, however, the reduction in blood pressure was very small. You can read the results of this research here.

Quite a few months ago, I had told you about a new drug being developed by Merck called Cordaptive. Cordaptive was essentially Niaspan (extended release niacin) combined with a chemical called laropiprant, which reduced the side effects associated with niacin. The Food and Drug Administration has now decided not to approve this drug.

If you've ever taken niacin before, you are already familiar with some of the side effects, such as:

• sweating
• flushing
• hot flashes
• redness

While there are certain tricks you can use to reduce this, some individuals still discontinue taking niacin because they can't tolerate the side effects. Studies had shown that laropiprant promised to reduce this.

While studies have show that laropiprant reduces niacin-induced side effects, we really don't know much about it - especially with long-term use. With the recent controversy surrounding Zetia and Vytorin, this isn't too surprising.

Merck plans to meet with the FDA and present more clinical evidence to them, including a possible trade name change to Tredaptive. You can read about this news in a statement released by Merck, but don't expect to see Cordaptive prescriptions anytime soon.

When you think about diabetes, the first thing that comes to mind is checking your blood sugar. However, along with diabetes, there is also another, potentially deadly problem that lurks: heart disease. In fact, if your blood sugar levels are too high, this may place you at risk of getting high cholesterol, a major precursor to heart disease. So, if you're diabetic, don't forget about your heart, too. Get your cholesterol checked on a regular basis.

Oatmeal is made of ground oats that can be formed into a variety of foods, including porridges, cookies, and snacks. It is also used in some cosmetics and creams. Recent studies have shown that it may also help lower "LDL" bad cholesterol levels.

Starting a diet to lower your cholesterol can be a little overwhelming. There are a lot of fats in your food to watch out for. Some of these fats can be bad for you, while some of these fats are actually heart-healthy. This handy guide will help you to determine which fats you need to be avoiding, and which fats are OK to consume.

More than likely, if you have ever taken niacin before, you have already been introduced to its side effects: the redness, the hot flashes, the stomach ache, and, of course, the flushing. The side effects can be pretty nasty, and some cases, some people may surrender taking niacin in favor of something else to lower their cholesterol. The good news is that the side effects don't last forever. However, what can you do in the meantime to reduce those bothersome side effects? This article may be able to provide the relief you are looking for.

It looks like Zetia and Vytorin, a combination of the cholesterol-lowering drugs Zetia and Zocor, is in under fire again. It is now being recommended that, due to lack of evidence of its effectiveness, the Zetia component should not be used unless you cannot tolerate other cholesterol-lowering drugs or if nothing else is working to lower your cholesterol.

Sometime in January, it was reported that Vytorin was not as effective in preventing heart disease than when using Zocor alone. Many studies have shown that high LDL cholesterol levels ("bad" cholesterol) corresponded with plaque formation, however, the information in this study revealed something completely different. While this combination showed an increased reduction in LDL cholesterol , or the "bad" cholesterol, this drug combination actually showed an increase in carotid intima-media thickness, a measurement of plaque formation. These findings were discussed at the the annual conference of the American College of Cardiology this weekend.

Many of the cholesterol-lowering drugs currently on the market have trials, or studies, associated with them that examine the long-term effectiveness of the drug. Neither Zetia or Vytorin have any of these studies associated with it. Merck and Schering-Plough, the makers of Zocor and Zetia respectively, are currently conducting a trial examining the long-term benefits of Vytorin versus taking Zocor alone. The results of this study will not be available until 2012.

So, if you are taking Vytorin to lower your cholesterol, do not abruptly stop taking them abruptly. Discuss your concerns with your healthcare provider.

You watch what you eat, you exercise religiously...yet your cholesterol isn't budging. If this scerario sounds too familiar, your high cholesterol could be due to your genes. In fact, studies have shown that almost 50% cases of high cholesterol are inherited. There has been a lot of research lately looking at which genes cause cholesterol. Recent research has identified a possible relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, and the incidence of high cholesterol and heart disease.

Research has found a possible association between very low cholesterol levels and the risk of stomach cancer. While there hasn't been a lot of research that has examined what happens when your cholesterol is too low, there are some reports surfacing that, while low cholesterol levels are good for the heart, other organs, like the brain, may need higher cholesterol levels to remain healthy. There isn't a lot of research that has been performed on this, though. However, a recent study establishes a link between stomach cancer and cholesterol. Should we forget all about trying to lower our cholesterol, or continue to push for lower cholesterol levels? This article has all of the details.