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DIETARY cholesterol increases the plasma level of total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and accelerates the development of atherosclerosis and its complications, but individual responses to a given change in the dietary cholesterol level vary widely. Such responses are reproducible to some extent, suggesting genetic as well as physiologic determinants. Several genetic determinants have been identified in nonhuman primates. The homeostatic and regulatory mechanisms that maintain a relatively constant level of plasma cholesterol despite changes in dietary cholesterol intake include alterations in the efficiency of intestinal absorption and in the rates of cholesterol biosynthesis, LDL-receptor activity, secretion of cholesterol into...

Dr. Maryanne Demasi is a former medical scientist who completed her PhD in Medicine at the University of Adelaide. Her research focused on the pathology of Rheumatoid arthritis and potential therapies. Her innovative research has appeared in several internationally published medical journals. Leaving her lab coat behind, Maryanne accepted a position as a political advisor and speechwriter for the South Australian Minister for Science and Information technology portfolios. She advised on issues concerning Intellectual Property and commercialisation of research. Maryanne was headhunted by the ABC ‘s Catalyst program in 2006 and gained a reputation for reporting on relevant and sometimes...

Eggs don't always get the best reputation. In fact, the first thing that may come to mind when you hear the word "eggs" is cholesterol. So, it may come as a surprise to some to see the term "fat-blasting" associated with eating eggs regularly. But first, let's clear up the cholesterol confusion. Each egg contains about 185 milligrams of cholesterol, however, you'll notice the most recent USDA dietary guidelines don't specify how much cholesterol you should limit yourself to each day (they got rid of that guideline in the 2015-2020 edition). Many experts agree the focus should instead be on...

Boiled, fried, scrambled or in an omelette, whole eggs pose a threat to health and eating more of them increases your risk of death, a study claims. Researchers found eating just half a whole egg — which includes the yolk and the white — increases the likelihood of dying by seven per cent. Risk of death increases by a further seven per cent for every half an egg on top of this, so a person eating one egg a day has at 14 per cent greater chance of death than someone who avoids the food. Chinese researchers who led the...

Cholesterol is a steroid lipid (fat) found in the blood of all animals and is necessary for proper functioning of our cell membranes and production of hormones. While there can be negative health effects associated with low cholesterol, cholesterol deficiency is rare. Our bodies already manufacture all the cholesterol we need, so it is not necessary to consume more. Excessive consumption of cholesterol may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, especially in certain groups which are sensitive to dietary cholesterol. (2) Experiment with different diets, and use a Cholesterol Test Kit, so you can monitor your cholesterol levels...

“Between 2002 and 2013 statin use in the US nearly doubled, cholesterol levels are falling, yet cardiovascular deaths appear to be on the rise.”

Statins are not particularly effective at reducing the risk of dying from heart disease, a study claims. Scientists analysed 35 studies into the effects of the drugs which lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol and found the pills have no consistent benefit. The research, published in the British Medical Journal, found three quarters of all trials reported no reduction in mortality among those who took the drugs. And half of all studies suggested that cholesterol-busting pills did not prevent heart attacks or strokes. The research flies in the face of decades of medical advice. Authors claimed doctors have overlooked evidence that suggests...

A new study by a medical journal revealed that most of the people in New York City who were hospitalized due to coronavirus had one or more underlying health issues. Health records from 5,700 patients hospitalized within the Northwell Health system -- which housed the most patients in the country throughout the pandemic -- showed that 94 percent of patients had more than one disease other than COVID-19, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Data taken from March to early April showed that the median age of patients was 63 years old and 53 percent of...

Replacing saturated fat with healthy fats is the main dietary step people take to improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels. But according to a study published in February in the Journal of the American Heart Association, avoiding soda may also have a positive effect. Researchers from Tufts and Boston universities wanted to explore how people’s intakes of different beverages might affect dyslipidemia, an unhealthy imbalance of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood that increases the risk of heart disease. They looked at just over 12 years’ worth of data from about 6,000 adult participants in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-term,...

Highly educated “experts” rule today’s advanced societies, but their advice on how the rest of us should live – often enforced by government coercion –is increasingly exposed as premature at best and mistaken, incomplete, ignorant, or fraudulent at worst.Yet another bit of diet advice from “experts” is turning out to be an exploding cigar. High cholesterol particularly LDL cholesterol has been demonized for allegedly bringing on heart attack deaths. But an intriguing analysis of data published in Medium.com seems to show that total mortality is enhanced by high cholesterol levels, even LDL cholesterol. As author P.D. Mangan writes: …...

Sorry - Just a personal query. A few weeks back, some FReeper mentioned 'My wife is a pharmacist; she will not let me use statins." I have no idea how to find out who/ when -- but would love to chat briefly with the person who posted. Thanks

The latest U.S. research on eggs won’t go over easy for those can’t eat breakfast without them. Adults who ate about 1½ eggs a day had a slightly higher risk of heart disease than those who ate no eggs. The study showed the more eggs, the greater the risk. The chances of dying early were also elevated. The researchers say the culprit is cholesterol, found in egg yolks and other foods, including shellfish, dairy products and red meat. The study focused on eggs because they’re among the most commonly eaten cholesterol-rich foods. They can still be part of a healthy...

Bring on the bacon. That’s the word from McDonald’s, which is set to add to bacon to three of its most-popular menu items. The Big Mac Bacon burger, Quarter Pounder Bacon burger and Cheesy Bacon Fries will debut for a limited time at participating restaurants on Jan. 30. Bacon has long been a favorite delicacy among foodies. According to a news release, the tasty indulgence has been mentioned more than 17,000 times a day across U.S. online platforms since 2018. That’s 740 times an hour. “People love bacon, and they love our iconic Big Mac, fresh beef Quarter Pounder burgers...

Should a 76-year-old who doesn’t have heart disease, but does have certain risk factors for developing it, take a statin to ward off heart attacks or strokes? You’d think we’d have a solid answer to this question. These widely prescribed medications lower cholesterol to reduce cardiovascular disease, the nation’s most common killer, and get much of the credit for the nation’s plummeting rates of heart attacks and strokes. When they entered common use in the 1990s, “it was very exciting,” said Dr. Ariela Orkaby, a geriatrician at the Harvard Medical School and lead author of a new study on statins...

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on Sunday issued new guidance for the use of cholesterol-busting statin drugs. The report greatly expands the universe of people who should be screened to see if they need the medication to everyone over age 40 regardless of whether they have a history of cardiovascular disease. The recommendations also support the position of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, which in 2013 radically shifted their advice from suggesting that doctors focus on the level of a patient’s low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or “bad cholesterol” to looking at a more comprehensive picture...

Tina Hesman SaeyMay 16, 2016 A sugar that freshens air in rooms may also clean cholesterol out of hardened arteries. The sugar, cyclodextrin, removed cholesterol that had built up in the arteries of mice fed a high-fat diet, researchers report April 6 in Science Translational Medicine. The sugar enhances a natural cholesterol-removal process and persuades immune cells to soothe inflammation instead of provoking it, say immunologist Eicke Latz and colleagues. Cyclodextrin, more formally known as 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, is the active ingredient in the air freshener Febreze. It is also used in a wide variety of drugs; it helps make hormones, antifungal...

Vanity question: just saw doctor, said my cholesterol and blood sugar sky high! Politically active does not count as exercise!!!! Who knew? Doc recommended exercise bike, the portable kind. Saw some on amazon in the $100 price range. Can anyone recommend good brand? Do not need bells and whistles, just durable and simple for senior woman to assemble and fit in car. Want to be fit enough for upcoming election!

I don’t think there’s any more controversial food than eggs. By and large, the reason we have been told to avoid eating eggs is because they contain cholesterol, and indeed that’s true. A typical egg may contain as much as 200 mg of cholesterol. But does that mean we shouldn’t eat eggs? To answer this question, researchers in Finland conducted an extensive study in which they evaluated two parameters. First they looked at whether or not individuals developed coronary artery disease. In addition, they looked at a parameter called carotid intimal thickening. Basically this is a study, using ultrasound, that...

When I was a kid, the milkman came right to our back door. He brought us bright glass bottles of rich whole milk and thick sweet cream. We drank a lot of milk. Nobody had heard of skim. On weekends my dad cooked up breakfasts of eggs fried in butter, piles of bacon, delicious German sausages. For dinner, we had big chunks of fatty meat every night. That was in the 1950s. Nobody was fat, except for one lone girl at school who everybody picked on. Most kids ate like horses and were skinny as rakes. Then the experts came...

President Barack Obama’s doctor says the president’s health remains excellent overall and that he has even improved from his last physical by lowering his cholesterol level and gaining muscle. Obama, 54, weighs in at 175 pounds, about five pounds less than from his last assessment in 2014. Dr. Ronny Jackson, the president’s physician, says the “president continues to focus on healthy lifestyle choices.” …