Archive for the Cholesterol category
Resource post for October: Alternative supplements to lower your cholesterol levels
There are mainstream pharmacological products and there are alternative natural products. There was a time when these two types of products don’t mix. Nowadays, many health experts not only believe but even recommend the use of alternative or adjunctive therapies in the form of acupuncture, yoga, etc. as well as nutritional supplements, nutraceuticals, and herbal medicine.
However, it is always prudent to use these products with caution. While many have been proven to be beneficial to our health and highly effective against certain diseases, there are also many which are suspect and can even have harmful effects.
Know your medications: anti-cholesterol drugs
It’s Cholesterol Awareness Month.
So I think it’s only right that I tackle the topic of drugs used in controlling our cholesterol levels. For a review of the basics of cholesterol and what out cholesterol numbers mean, check out this resource post. In the same post, I have tackled lifestyle changes strategies that can help lower and control cholesterol levels. In today’s post, let us take a look at the pharmacological therapies for high cholesterol levels.
Resource post for September: Fibers for our health
What are fibers?
Fibers come from plant materials. Our body cannot digest or absorb fibers. They seldom provide vitamins and nutrients. Yet, fibers in our diet are very important to our health. A lot of fibers are actually in carbohydrates that you eat - yes, carbs - that dreaded word that seems to give weight watchers nightmares. Don’t worry. Fibers are special. More →
Resource post for September: National Cholesterol Awareness Month
September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month (American Heart Association [AHA]) or National Cholesterol Education Month (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [NHLBI]). It is therefore appropriate that our resource posts for this month will be on cholesterol.
What is cholesterol?
CVD News Watch for the Weekend August 15
Looking forward to your second Olympics weekend? Be aware, though, that watching stressful sports events might just not be good for your heart. Happy reading!
CVD healthcare watch
Know your medications: Red yeast rice extract- good or bad for the heart?
Red yeast extract also know as Xuezhikang or XZK for short, has been the subject of great controversy. Is it or is not good for cardiovascular health?
On August 9, 2007, the US FDA issued a warning to consumers against the use of red yeast rice products in the treatment of high blood cholesterol. These products which are sold as nutritional supplements (and therefore bought over-the-counter (OTC)) contain lovastatin, the active ingredient of anti-cholesterol prescription drugs such as Mevacor.
Resource article for July: Alcohol and CVD Part I
Part I: The Health Benefits of Alcohol - “Eat, drink and be healthy”
Drinking alcohol has been linked to a wide range of health effects, ranging from the very good to the very bad. A post in June reported on the adverse effects of heavy drinking on cardiovascular health. On the other hand, light to moderate drinking has been shown to have long lasting beneficial effects. The only problem is how to determine the boundary between healthy and unhealthy alcohol consumption. Some researchers are concerned that recent reports about the health benefits of alcohol may mislead people to drink more than they should, thereby doing more harm than good to their health.
Dementia and your cholesterol
When we speak of cholesterol, negative thoughts of blocked arteries and heart attacks come to mind. However, not all types of cholesterol are detrimental to our health. There are 2 main types of cholesterol in our body - the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and the high-density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL cholesterol is considered to be “bad” cholesterol and is linked to atherosclerosis. LDL levels in our blood should therefore be kept low. HDL is deemed to be the “good” cholesterol and high levels of HDL in the blood may actually be beneficial and decrease the risk of heart attacks. HDL cholesterol plays important roles in several vital biological functions including clearance of excess cholesterol from the blood, assistance in the maturation process of nerve-cell synapses, and controlling the formation of beta-amyloid. Beta-amyloid is the major component of plaque deposits found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
A recent study demonstrated the role of HDL in the development of dementia. Low levels of HDL are linked to having memory loss in middle age and dementia later in life. The report is based on data collected by the Whitehall II study, a long-term health research study involving more than 10,000 British civil servants working in London. The study has been ongoing since 1985. More →
Statins for my kids?!!!
Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a revision of a policy statement from 1 January 1998 regarding lipid screening in children.
The new guidelines recommend early cholesterol screening of children and adolescents with a family history of high cholesterol or cardiovascular disease as well as children who are significantly overweight. Lipid screening should start as early as 2 years old, should be repeated 3 to 5 years later, and shouldn’t be put off beyond the 10th year of a child’s life.
Raquel Billiones has a PhD in Biology and has over 15 years experience as a researcher, scientific English teacher, and medical writer. Since 2006, she has been a freelance WAHM specializing in medical writing and scientific documentation. 
