LDL tagged posts

Factors Contributing to Cardiometabolic Risk

A profound new level of complexity and interaction among genes within specific tissues responsible for mediating the inherited risk for cardiometabolic diseases have been identified by researchers, including processes that lead to heart attack and stroke...

•Lipoprotein cholesterol supports tumor growth •Tumors increase VLDL/LDL levels •Ces3/TGH deficiency attenuates tumor-induced hyperlipidemia via inhibition of PCSK9 •Tumor growth was suppressed in Ces3/Tgh−/− mice

Several studies have recognized a link between obesity and cancer. Richard Lehner, professor of Pediatrics and investigator at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, has taken his research further to understand how tumour cells grow through scavenging very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and what mechanisms can be used to reduce the malignant cells’ growth.

The data gathered from their experiments suggest a feed-forward loop, in which tumours not only use lipids as “building blocks” to grow, but they can regulat...

Dr. Ian Corbin (left) and Dr. Xiaodong Wen look over lab samples from their study of an experimental nanoparticle therapy that shows promise for fighting primary liver cancer. Credit: UT Southwestern Medical Center

“This approach offers a potentially new and safe way of treating liver cancer, and possibly other cancers,” said study Assistant Professor/ Dr. Ian Corbin . “The method utilizes the cholesterol carrier LDL, combined with fish oil to produce a unique nanoparticle that is selectively toxic to cancer cells.”

Primary liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma, is the 6th most prevalent type of cancer and 3rd-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Incidence of the disease is rising in the US, principally in relation to the spread of hepatitis C.

Fish oils are particularly r...

People fed beta-glucan-enriched pasta for 2 months showed increased populations of beneficial bacteria in their intestinal tracts, and reduced populations of non-beneficial bacteria. They also showed reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol. This work is part of a broad effort to identify potential prebiotics – foods that could encourage the growth of health-promoting bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.

β-glucans are healthy fibers that humans cannot digest, but that can be digested by some species of our gut bacteria. They are special types of sugars that are found in the cell walls of certain microbes, as well as in oats and barley...