New strategy to cut heart attack risk is effective in initial test

Id you are taking statins to control your cholesterol levels, you should read this article that I found released this week. They are trialling a different type of drug to help drop levels of LDL and it could be great for those who are not tolerating the statins very well. Here is part of the article. Check out the link for more information or click on the "Health Directory", one of my favourite links for similar articles.

Article Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/uoc--nst121407.php

"The first clinical trial of a new kind of drug to cut the risk of cardiovascular disease has been found safe and effective at dropping levels of (bad) low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by as much as 40 percent. High LDL levels increase the risk for heart attack and stroke.

The drug mimics the action of thyroid hormone and safely accelerates the hormone's natural ability to rid the body of LDL. It is unrelated in structure or action to statins, the widely used class of drugs to lower cholesterol, and may offer an alternative for patients who cannot tolerate statins, according to the research team. It might also complement the use of statins to further decrease cholesterol levels, the researchers report in "The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" (PNAS).

Someone suffers a heart attack about every 30 seconds in the U.S., yet the best drug trials using statins show that the drugs reduce the incidence of new heart attacks and other coronary events by only about 35 percent, highlighting the need for new therapies, the scientists say."

Smart Balance: Are cholesterol-lowering products safe for everyone?

Have you heard about cholesterol lowering products, such as margarine, milk, etc.? Have you given them a try? Really, it's time to stop looking for the easy way out and just stick to a healthy diet, full of whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Try to cut down on saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet. Learn about trans fats - what are they and how can you cut down on them. Cholesterol lowering products are another great marketing initiative, but not the real key to your health. Check out this link for more information on the latest research on cholesterol lowering products.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/smart-balance/AN01736

And check out the 'Health Directory' under my 'favourite links' for more news and information on cholesterol.

Knowing Heart Risk Keeps Patients on Cholesterol Drugs

Motivation is certainly needed when it comes to keeping a low cholesterol diet. We have bad foods surrounding us! A longer life is certainly a good motivation. I thought this article was really good.

Article source: http://www.kold.com/global/story.asp?s=7429023
Letting patients know how cholesterol boosts their heart risks helps them stick to cholesterol-lowering treatment, Canadian researchers report.

Researchers at McGill University in Montreal enrolled more than 3,000 patients (2,687 completed the study) with cholesterol problems who were instructed to change their lifestyle and then prescribed cholesterol-lowering statin medications when necessary.

Of those patients, more than 1,500 were given a one-page computer printout of their probability for developing heart disease at the start of the study, and at follow-up visits three, six, nine and 12 months later.

At the end of the 12-month study, patients who'd received the heart disease risk profiles had small but significantly greater reductions in "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and their ratio of total cholesterol to "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, the researchers said.