Cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia)
Do Statin Side Effects Make It Harder To Exercis…
Regular exercise is considered essential for good health. The benefits include weight control, diabetes prevention, blood sugar management, blood lipid control, improved mood, better sleep and a reduc…
Do Simvastatin Side Effects Include Diabetes and…
Many physicians tell us that even if statins increase the risk for diabetes, the drug benefits far outweigh any increase in blood glucose. But diabetes is a challenging condition to treat. Then there …
Hot Pepper Lovers Live Longer So Fire Up Your Ta…
Ok, I admit it. I cannot be neutral about this topic since I am a confirmed "chile-head." I love hot peppers. I'm not the only one. Salsa sales are soaring. The market for hot sauce swelled more than …
Do Statin Side Effects Make It Harder To Exercis…
How important is exercise for overall health? Researchers report that exercise reduces blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate, body fat and depression (British Journal of Sports Medicine, June, 2015)…
Doctors Deeply Divided Over the Value of Statins
Should you be taking a statin-type cholesterol-lowering medication like atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor), rosuvastatin (Crestor) or simvastatin (Zocor)? Some patients have been "fired" by …
Are There Toxins in Your Drinking Water?
Your drinking water might be contaminated without your knowledge. Harvard researchers have identified dangerous compounds in the PFAS class in the drinking water of 6 million Americans. These chemical…
Should the “Salt Is Safe” Heretics B…
Modern medicine likes to think of itself as scientific, driven by data. But when new evidence disputes old dogma public health leaders might wish for the old days when dissenters were dealt with harsh…
Does Everyone Over 65 Need Statins to Lower Chol…
Many doctors are now following recommendations set out by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. People over 65 with perfect cholesterol numbers, normal blood pressur…
Should You Shun Saturated Fat to Prevent A Heart…
Do you worry about your cholesterol levels? Have you followed the nutrition advice of the American Heart Association to ban butter, embrace margarine, avoid eggs and use vegetable oil as your cooking …
Eggs are Exonerated in Finnish Heart Study
For more than five decades Americans have been told that cholesterol causes heart disease. That's why nutrition experts, cardiologists and family practice physicians advised their patients to limit eg…
Atorvastatin Lowers Cholesterol but Raises Blood…
As many as 40 million people may be taking statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs daily in the U.S. Although medications like atorvastatin, lovastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, and rosuvastatin can b…
Statins Are NOT a Magic Bullet for Longer Life
Current guidelines from heart experts insist that virtually every man over the age of 63 and every woman over 70 should be on statin-type cholesterol lowering drugs, regardless of risk factors. What …
How to Eat Your Way to Lower Cholesterol
Doctors frequently tell their patients with elevated cholesterol levels to change their diet. The problem is that people rarely get specific details about what to eat. They are told what not to eat. T…
Which Dietary Changes Can Lower LDL Cholesterol …
Q. I'd like to learn more about natural ways to lower LDL cholesterol. I can't take niacin or statins because my liver enzymes are elevated. My doctor and I are concerned that my LDL has been rising. …
Should Lipitor (Atorvastatin) Be Sold Over The C…
According to the Wall Street Journal (March 2, 2014), Lipitor brought in roughly $13 billion for Pfizer in 2006. That was during the drug's heyday. This cholesterol-lowering statin-type medication mad…
Fenofibrate Side Effects, Interactions & Co…
Q. You responded to a patient who was worried that his blood pressure may have gone up because of Trilipix (fenofibric acid) to lower cholesterol. Please be cautious when you tell someone a medication…
Will New Heart Guidelines Put You on a Statin?
According to The American Heart Association and The American College of Cardiology, 33 million Americans should now be on statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs. That means about twice as many people …
Will Red Yeast Rice Lower Cholesterol?
Q. What are the pros and cons of taking a supplement like red yeast rice to help lower LDL cholesterol? Are there side effects? Is it safer than prescribed medication such as atorvastatin? A. Red yeas…
Can Cholesterol Levels Go TOO Low?
We have been told for more than 50 years that cholesterol is our enemy--that it causes heart attacks and strokes and the lower it is the healthier we are. But some physicians are beginning to question…
No Difference Between Statin Drugs
The statin smackdown contest between Crestor and Lipitor is a draw. At least that is the conclusion of a new study that pitted high doses of both cholesterol-lowering drugs. Over a thousand patients w…
Cheese Better Than Butter for Cholesterol
Doctors have been warning their patients to avoid high fat dairy products like butter and cheese. The fear has been that these high-fat foods would raise cholesterol levels which would increase the ri…
Is Lipitor Safe Enough to Go OTC?
One of the most successful drugs in the history of the pharmaceutical industry is poised to lose its patent this November. That means cheaper generic copycats will soon become available. One way that …
Should Lipitor Be Sold Over The Counter?
Let's get one thing straight from the get-go. We love the idea of self care. The more tools and treatments people have to take care of themselves the better. Running to the doctor for every ache and p…
Green Tea to Cut Cholesterol
Green tea has also been shown to have powerful antioxidant properties. Compounds in green tea known as catechins are thought to be especially beneficial. Animal and cellular studies have demonstrated …
Fibrate Use Increasing in U.S.
Although statins dominate the cholesterol-lowering drug marketplace, they are not the only medications that lower lipids. Another category of medicines called fibrates are also prescribed quite freque…
Eggs Have Lowered Cholesterol Content
People who have been avoiding eggs because of their high cholesterol content may be cheered to learn that eggs have lost cholesterol over the past decade. Instead of 215 mg per large egg, there are no…
Breakfast for Better Health
Grandma always said breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Now a study from Australia suggests that she was right. In 1985 school children were polled to find out which kids ate breakfast a…
Doctors and Statins
Few medications have captivated physicians more than statins. It is estimated that anywhere from 20 million to 40 million Americans now take drugs like Crestor, Lipitor, lovastatin, pravastatin or sim…
Chocolate Lowers Cholesterol
Is chocolate really good for the heart? Chinese epidemiologists analyzed eight studies to see if cocoa polyphenols in dark chocolate can lower cholesterol. What they found is that these compounds lowe…
Sugar as Cholesterol Culprit
Eating sugar raises heart disease risk factors such as cholesterol and triglycerides. For years, Americans were admonished to avoid cholesterol and saturated fat to control blood lipids. Sugary snacks…
Statins in Tap Water?
We stirred up a hornets' nest of controversy with our editorial column about prescribing the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor for healthy people with normal cholesterol levels. What got people so exc…
Should They Put Crestor in your Water?
Nobody's neutral when it comes to the cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins. Some doctors are so enthusiastic about these powerful medications that they would almost consider putting them in sal…
Soy Did Not Lower Cholesterol
After menopause, women are just as susceptible as men to heart attacks and strokes. Previous studies have hinted that soy might help women cut cholesterol levels to reduce their cardiovascular risk. T…
Paranoia over Eggs Was Misplaced
Q. I gave up eating eggs years ago due to high cholesterol. I have only been eating egg substitutes. I recently heard that eating eggs doesn't really raise cholesterol. If this is true, I would love t…
How Much Plant Sterol Is Needed to Lower Cholest…
Scientists know that plant sterols interfere with cholesterol absorption, but how well do these compounds work to lower cholesterol? To answer this question, investigators fed volunteers a carefully c…
Flaxseed Lowers Cholesterol
Flaxseed has had a reputation as a healthful food. It is rich in soluble fiber, lignans and omega-3 fats. But it has not been clear whether flaxseed could lower cholesterol. A meta-analysis covering 2…
Study Creates Cholesterol Confusion
It all seemed so simple. If you just lowered your cholesterol you could reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke. Drug companies have done their best to keep you focused on medications that bring …
Should Shellfish Lovers Worry About Cholesterol?
Q. There seems to be conflicting information on the relationship between consuming shellfish and cholesterol. What does the latest research show? If shellfish is a high-cholesterol food, how much is t…
Are Doctors Too Cozy with Drug Companies?
Most doctors think they are way too smart to be influenced by drug companies. Physicians believe that they choose the best medicine for their patients based on science, not bribery. For decades many d…
Is Grapefruit Safe for Lowering Cholesterol?
Grapefruit has long had a reputation as a health food. Not only is it loaded with nutrients like vitamin C, potassium and folic acid, but it also has been reported to help people lose weight. For deca…