September 10, 2024
A new observational study suggests that lower LDL cholesterol levels are not necessarily better. Instead, the ratio of triglycerides to HDL may be more important [1]. Putting common wisdom to the test LDL cholesterol is largely considered harmful, but lower levels might not be beneficial according to a new study by researchers from the University...
May 21, 2024
A vast new study connects plant-based diets with various health benefits, including in cardiovascular diseases and cancer [1]. What exactly is healthy eating? Diet is one of the most powerful anti-aging interventions available today, but nutrition is also an extremely hard topic to analyze. Food we ingest contains tens of thousands of nutrients, and numerous...
December 08, 2023
In a randomized controlled trial, eight weeks of healthy vegan eating, but not of healthy omnivorous eating, led to weight loss and significant improvements in LDL cholesterol and insulin levels in a middle-aged twin study [1]. A tale of two diets Most of our knowledge about the health effects of various diets comes from epidemiological...
November 21, 2023
A new study suggests that increases in LDL cholesterol and systolic blood pressure elevate the risk of atherosclerosis progression more in younger than in older people. The good news is that this can be reversed [1]. Creeping atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease [2], the primary cause of death in the...
March 16, 2023
Analyzing data from three clinical trials, scientists have shown that excessive inflammation is a much stronger predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients on statins than excessive LDL cholesterol levels. These findings can upend the current standard of care for such patients [1]. The two types of risk Statins, drugs that lower the levels...
February 18, 2023
A team of researchers has described an association between reduced bone density in the lumbar spine and high total cholesterol in a paper published in Aging. Previous studies were conflicting In various populations, conflicting evidence has been found regarding a relationship between cholesterol and bone density. One study found that high HDL cholesterol was associated...