cholesterol

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Chinese Remedy Could Cut Cholesterol
Chinese Remedy Could Cut Cholesterol

Chinese Remedy Could Cut Cholesterol

Red yeast rice extract is rich in active agent in statin drugs

(Newser) - A Chinese supplement could help lower cholesterol in patients unable to tolerate statin drugs, ABC News reports. Extract of red yeast rice, a form of fermented rice that has been used in China for many centuries in medicine and food, is naturally rich in the active ingredient in the drugs....

Turnaround King Sees Gold in Margarine

Marketing guru aims to make Smart Balance a billion-dollar brand

(Newser) - Hailed as a marketing magician for successes with Healthy Choice and Tropicana, billion-dollar brand legend Steve Hughes is at it again, Fortune reports. Turning Smart Balance’s “good” cholesterol into an industry-leading line of spreads is the goal, though stiff competition, rocketing commodity prices, and strapped shoppers could work...

Mac in ‘Excellent Health’: Doctors

No sign of cancer for 71-year-old Republican candidate

(Newser) - John McCain’s doctors said today the 71-year-old candidate is in “excellent health and displays extraordinary energy,” and there has been no recurrence of the skin cancer that prompted surgery 8 years ago. The future Republican nominee has kidney stones and takes several medications—including one to reduce...

A Coffee a Day May Keep Dementia Away: Study

Daily caffeine helps protect the brain from damaging cholesterol

(Newser) - A daily fix of caffeine helps shield the brain from the damaging effects of cholesterol, which is apparently the way coffee helps reduce the risk of dementia, new research suggests. The "blood-brain barrier" protects the brain from toxins in the bloodstream, but scientists have discovered that cholesterol makes it...

Firms Hid Bad News on Heart Drugs 2 Years: Doc

Merck and Schering-Plough delayed trial results on Vytorin, Zetia

(Newser) - A scientist hired by two drug companies to conduct trials of cholesterol-lowering drugs accused the firms of deliberately delaying release of the results, the New York Times reports. The results for the Vytorin and Zetia trials—which showed the drugs don't work to reduce plaque in arteries—were not released...

2 Top Cholesterol Drugs, Vytorin and Zetia, Don't Work

Cardiologists urge prescribing statins over Vytorin, Zetia

(Newser) - Two top-selling cholesterol drugs  proved in a recent study to be largely ineffective in slowing the clogging of arteries, a panel of cardiologists said yesterday. Doctors should only prescribe Vytorin and Zetia if other medications don't work, and should rely instead on statins such as Lipitor and Zocor, they said....

Women's Stroke Rates Triple
Women's Stroke Rates Triple

Women's Stroke Rates Triple

Alarming rise linked to wider waistlines

(Newser) - Strokes have tripled among middle-aged American women in an alarming development experts attribute to obesity. Despite the increased use of blood pressure and cholesterol medication, 2% of women aged 35 to 54 suffered a stroke between 1999 and 2004. That's a three-fold increase over earlier studies.

Generic Beats Pricey Pill on Cholesterol

Pharma stocks fall after in-house study hails 3-cent drug

(Newser) - A cheap generic drug cuts arterial buildup as well as a pricey pill and may threaten the growth of two drug companies, Bloomberg reports. Vytorin is produced by Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. and costs $2.84 per dose; simvastin, a generic, costs 3 cents a pill and works...

Exercise + Alcohol = Good for Heart Health

A little drinking can help a lot if you're active, European study finds

(Newser) - Moderate drinking may help you live longer, according to a new study by Danish researchers. Scientists followed 12,000 participants for 20 years and found that, regardless of how much they exercised, those who drank in moderation were about 30% less likely to develop heart disease than teetotalers. Physically active...

Fast Food: The Healthy Alternative*
Fast Food:
The Healthy Alternative*
OPINION

Fast Food: The Healthy Alternative*

*That is, to nostalgic, even-more-caloric American diners

(Newser) - Don't blame McDonald's for America's obesity problem—in fact, thank it for providing a relatively healthy alternative to the even-fattier fare of "dives and diners," which offer delicacies like the "10-Storey Challenge Burger" and 72-ounce steaks, writes Greg Beato in Reason Magazine. Despite the graver health crimes...

Women Win One in Battle of Bulge
Women Win One in Battle
of Bulge

Women Win One in Battle of Bulge

Obesity rates have leveled off, holding at 35% since 1999

(Newser) - Obesity rates among American women have leveled off and remained steady since 1999, while rates among American men may be following suit, the CDC reported today. The study’s lead researcher called the trend “great news” for women. Officials will wait to render a final verdict for men, the...

Battle Brews in Pharma's Market
Battle Brews in Pharma's Market

Battle Brews in Pharma's Market

Pfizer launches attack on generic drug that threatens Lipitor's dominance

(Newser) - Pfizer is trying to stave off its own heart attack now that its flagship cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor faces stiff competition from a cheaper generic. Lipitor is still patent-protected, but a very similar drug called Zocor isn't, and since a generic version called simvastatin hit the market, many doctors and insurers...

Scientists Solve Estrogen Heart Mystery

Cholesterol compound blocks hormone's cardiac benefits

(Newser) - A compound created as the body processes cholesterol was to blame for giving scientists conflicting data about the effect of hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women, researchers say. Initial studies had found that estrogen helps keep the heart healthy, but a later study reported that women taking estrogen actually exhibited...

Employees Go Lean for Green
Employees Go Lean for Green

Employees Go Lean for Green

Forget the vegetables: people lose weight to fatten their wallets, study finds

(Newser) - A new study shows that paying people to lose weight works, a possible boon to employers and employees beset by the high costs of obesity. Researchers separated participants, who weren’t given a specific weight loss program, into three groups—two of which would be paid either $7 or $14...

American Kids' Blood Pressure Creeps Up

Obesity epidemic fallout foreshadows serious health troubles

(Newser) - The ranks of US children with dangerously high blood pressure and hypertension have been growing for 20 years, reversing a decades-long trend, says a new study that tracks the effects of youth obesity. Hypertension, which usually doesn't develop until patients are in their 30s or 40s, is a leading cause...

British Doc Prescribes Statins to All Men Over 50

Mass anti-cholesterol dosing proposed

(Newser) - All men aged 50 and over should forestall heart disease with daily doses of cholesterol-reducing statins,  a leading health figure in British government has proposed. The so-called “heart czar” acknowledged he might provoke “nanny state” accusations, but said the process of identifying at-risk men is  too cumbersome,...

Cholesterol Drop May Boost Cancer Risk

Study doesn't prove cause-and-effect relationship, docs say

(Newser) - Artificially reducing cholesterol to very low levels may slightly increase the risk of cancer, but that doesn't mean heart patients should go off their meds. One extra cancer case occurred in each 1,000 patients using statin drugs in an analysis of 23 different trials, Reuters reports; researchers hastened to...

Americans Go Abroad, Online for New Diet Pill

Hung up in FDA approval process, pill's already scoring big

(Newser) - The weight loss drug Acomplia is stuck in FDA limbo, but that isn't stopping Americans from ordering it off the Internet or buying it in Europe, where it's legal. If the government rules that its lowering of weight and cholesterol balances out the possible side effects, including suicide and depression,...

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