For more than a decade, scientists have accepted that cholesterol - a key component of cell membranes - did not uniformly affect membranes of different types.
In a pilot study of people living with HIV or high levels of cholesterol, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found that a six-week course of a cholesterol-lowering medication improved the function of the coronary arteries that provide oxygen to the heart.
High cholesterol kills. In fact, one in four Americans will die from the consequences of atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaques of fat and cholesterol in the arteries. Statins have helped reduce mortality, but millions are still at risk.
A congenital disorder of the fat metabolism can apparently cause chronic hyperreaction of the immune system. This is the conclusion reached by researchers from the University of Bonn in a recent study.
For many years, health experts have warned that high levels of bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are critical drivers for the development of cardiovascular disease. Now, a new study claims that decades of research have failed to show benefit of targeting the bad cholesterol to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.