cholesterol tagged posts

Cholesterol may Not be the Only Lipid involved in Trans Fat-driven Cardiovascular Disease

Cholesterol is not the only lipid involved in trans fat-driven cardiovascular disease
Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Metabolism (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.10.016

Excess cholesterol is known to form artery-clogging plaques that can lead to stroke, arterial disease, heart attack, and more, making it the focus of many heart health campaigns. Fortunately, this attention to cholesterol has prompted the development of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins and lifestyle interventions like dietary and exercise regimens. But what if there’s more to the picture than just cholesterol?

New research from Salk Institute scientists describes how another class of lipids, called sphingolipids, contributes to arterial plaques and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD)...

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Swap Red Meat for Quorn Protein to Improve Heart Health and Reduce Waist Circumference, study finds

Swap red meat for Quorn protein to improve heart health and reduce waist circumference, study finds

People looking to reduce their cholesterol and trim fat from around their waist could try swapping meat for Quorn protein, according to the findings from a new study by Northumbria University, Newcastle, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, which saw positive effects in both areas in just two weeks.

Researchers from the University found that participants who ate Quorn products — the popular mycoprotein-based meat substitute — over just a two-week period, saw a significant 12% drop in ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and a 7% fall in total cholesterol, compared to those who ate similar products made from red and processed meat. In addition, they also reduced their waist circumference by close to 1cm (0.95cm) on average over the 14 days.

Such a drop in total cholesterol levels cou...

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Cholesterol drives Alzheimer’s Plaque Formation

Amyloid plaques form among neurons in Alzheimer’s disease. New research suggests cholesterol plays a key role.

Cholesterol manufactured in the brain appears to play a key role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, new research indicates.

Scientists from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and their collaborators found that cholesterol produced by astrocytes is required for controlling the production of amyloid beta, a sticky protein that builds up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s. The protein accumulates into insoluble plaques that are a hallmark of the disease. Many efforts have targeted these plaques in the hope that removing or preventing them could treat or prevent Alzheimer’s.

The new findings offer important insights into how and why the plaques for...

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Scientists Decipher 3D structure of a Promising Molecular Target for Cancer Treatment

The 3D structure of human ATP-citrate lyase, a metabolic enzyme that plays a key role in cancer cell proliferation and other processes.
Credit: Nimbus Therapeutics; Liang Tong, Columbia University, Nature

Discovery could be a major step in developing therapies for cancer, controlling cholesterol. Columbia University scientists, in collaboration with researchers from Nimbus Therapeutics, have demystified a metabolic enzyme that could be the next major molecular target in cancer treatment.

The team has successfully determined the 3D structure of human ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY) – which plays a key role in cancer cell proliferation and other cellular processes – for the first time...

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